Desert Flower
by NXSE
Summary: Naruto is banished from the village in a way worse than imagined. Temari finds him in the middle of nowhere, on the verge of killing himself and helps him out of his despair. Will Konoha ever regret ever letting him go? Chakra chains, Hiraishin and Space-time ninjutsu as well as seal master Naruto. Naruto x Temari. Konoha slight bashing.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary : AU : Naruto was banished from Konoha after the retrieval of Sasuke as the council and Daimyo make a unanimous decision and banish him. Temari finds him in a small merchant village in the Land of Wind in a condition worse for wear and on the edge of committing seppuku and takes him back to her village as Naruto becomes a Suna shinobi and Konoha regrets ever letting him go. What will the adventures unroll….**

* * *

 **Konohagakure no Sato**

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto, the hyperactive knucklehead ninja, was walking towards the lofty village walls of the Hidden Leaf village, an unconscious Sasuke slung atop his shoulders. He was the last one of the retrieval squad sent to retrieve said Uchiha to return, and even though he was bleeding profusely while barely hanging on to his consciousness, he was grinning like an idiot.

He had accomplished his mission thereby fulfilling his promise, after all, Uzumaki Naruto never went back on his word - this time being no exception.

As the gates to the village became visible to his glittering azure orbs, his injuries were finally cloaking their veils over him to the limits of his bodily endurance, prompting him to ultimately fall down on the ground with a thump, completely unconscious.

Meanwhile, Temari was walking on the path leading to the Leaf village, her ever present battle fan was slung on her back like usual, and the white battle kimono she donned was draped to her curvaceous figure, held on to it firmly with a red belt tied to her waist in a knot. Her were hair trussed into her usual four ponytails, most found it unbecoming of a young female such as herself, mainly since it downplayed heavily on her looks. But to a kunoichi as serious as she was, it was a necessity. Looks didn't help you in battle, and they sure as hell never came in handy during shinobi affairs, she was taught that the hard way many times in the past.

Her teal eyes caught two silhouettes lying there on the ground, unconscious, and she immediately rushed to them.

Shikamaru had been taken by the medics ahead of her. In fact, the lazy genius had been adamant to get back to the village ahead of her, as soon as he possibly could, and she could relate to his worries on that subject. Seeing her baby brother, who she hadn't ever even suffer so much as a scratch through almost all his younger life, lying half dead on the ground after his battle with Naruto, she had never felt so troubled as she had right then.

So, in short, she could relate to the pineapple haired genin wanting to get close to his fallen squad mates as soon as humanly possible. Crouching down, she flipped over the Uchiha to make him face up. Her trained eyes instantly traveling and focusing over the spiral shaped wound scarring his chest, even though the high degree burns were clearly evident on his chest, she could discern with a mere glance that his wounds were in no way life threatening.

So, putting that thought to the side, she gently placed him aside and turned all her attention to the second victim lying by his side. She didn't even need to turn him to realize that he was on the verge of death, the blood pooling underneath him in a puddle was proof enough, staining the ground crimson. Instantly rushing to his side, she flipped him over and tore off her kimono near her thighs right before pressing the bundled cloth over the gaping wound on his chest. She almost missed the shuffling footsteps coming nearer and nearer in her dazed state, but looking up to see the medic team now on site, relief washed over her entire being.

Seeing them put Sasuke on a stretcher, she bristled. "Hey! Get over here, he needs immediate attention. His wounds are fatal…!" she shouted, quite frantically.

Their eyes looked at her in mild surprise before traveling down to the boy on her lap. Instantly, much to her added anger and confusion, those eyes turned cold. "Uchiha-sama is injured, can't you see? Plus, he is much more valuable to the Leaf than _he_ will ever be." she glowered over him, but the men didn't budge so much as an inch in their stances. "We have our orders and we must follow them to point." they answered her curtly. Before she could so much as raise a word of protest, they were off to the village with an unconscious Sasuke now in tow.

"Those idiots!" she hissed. Looking down, her anger was replaced with worry, the blonde boy's condition seemed to be worsening each passing second. Her white clothes were drenching themselves in his blood, but she could care less about such trivial things right now. Cradling him up and placing him delicately over her back, she started jumping back to the Leaf, intent on getting him there herself now.

But feeling her back now dripping in his elixir of life, her heart skipped a beat. "Hold on now you idiot, I'll get you help. Don't you die on me…!" she whispered worriedly, feeling his breaths turning fainter by the minute. Her feet started picking up their pace as branches started blurring beneath them in a daze, it seemed like hours before the foliage finally ended and she was rushing through the surprisingly unmanned gates of the village, straight to the hospital with a face of sheer urgency.

Rushing in through the hospital doors, she slid to an abrupt stop. "I need help here!" she spoke out loud, earning surprised looks from the staff going about their businesses there. Seeing the patient slung on her back, nurses started rushing close to her in a jiffy. "Please hurry up, he is in critical condition. This is an emergency." she pressed desperately, earning understanding nods from the nurse.

"I understand that miss." the nurse said reassuringly, now finally getting a good look at the bruised and beaten face of said patient. But catching a glimpse of those sun kissed hair and whisker marks on his cheeks, even her eyes turned frosty. "I'll go and see if any doctor is free, please wait right here." she said. Her voice was all too calm now, a bit too calm for Temari's tastes in fact.

Temari growled, helplessly watching her walk away without a care in the world. "What the hell's the matter with these people?!" she growled, boring holes in the retreating nurses back.

Was she the only one who was seeing how serious Naruto truly was?

Tsunade, in a coincidental turn of events, walked out from the operation theater housing an injured Chouji - and just as her eyes landed on the blonde, the unconscious one, she dropped her clipboard with a gasp before and rushing closer to him. "What happened to him?! Kami…"

Pulling her hands back with sheer will from trying to embrace the boy she adored so much, she had to crush her motherly instincts and started rushing back to an empty room in hurry. "Never mind that, bring him in the room over here."

Temari didn't need to be told twice, she followed Tsunade just as swiftly. "Shizune! Get over here, right now…!" shouted Tsunade. Shizune came stumbling in, and seeing her brother in all but blood on the bed as if he was something the cat dragged in, her eyes widened in horror. "Naruto…!" she gasped.

Tsunade slapped her cheek gently, snapping her apprentice out from the shock. "Assist me, don't fool around like this. We need to stabilize him, NOW!"

"Hai…!" Shizune agreed, pulling up her latex gloves, intent on stabilizing him as soon as she possibly could. Temari stood there oddly, having no idea what to do now. She saw Shizune and Tsunade shouting orders in the air moments before the room was frolicking with nurses, one of whom dragged her out and seated her in the waiting lounge, quite forcefully for her tastes. She sat there, waiting, covered head to toe in blood with no idea what she was supposed do or even where she currently was. Too engrossed was she in worrying for the boy who had essentially saved her little brother in more ways than one, but now, here he was, almost on the verge of death.

And all for what, that prideful Uchiha?

Her teeth clicked together in annoyance, ever since she had laid eyes on him, that prideful bastard had left a bitter taste in her mouth. But to outright abandon your village, the highest form of treason one could commit - just to get some petty revenge; he had to have been ludicrous, or suicidal even, she just couldn't place her finger on which one it truly was.

"TEMARI!" she had to wince and resist the urge to cover her ears, talk about being loud. "WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU? AND WHY AREN'T YOU BEING TREATED FOR THAT MATTER?!" this time she did cover her ears, the screech of the fabled banshee had finally succeeded in making her do so.

"Please Sakura, for Kami's sake this is a hospital. Could you be any louder?" she asked in barbed annoyance. Sakura nodded sheepishly, clearly embarrassed at being told off on her antics so bluntly. "…and this isn't my blood for you information, it's Naruto's. He was critically injured when I brought him in, and as far as I know, he's still being treated by Tsunade-sama herself."

Sakura snorted, urging Temari to look up at her with an elevated eyebrow. "Serves him right." Temari narrowed her eyes at that, her tongue curling in distaste. "After I told him to bring back Sasuke-kun to me, he injured and almost killed him. You should have left him there for all I care - "

"How dare you even say that, you filth?!" Temari hissed. "He had a gaping hole where his heart was supposed to be, and even after all that he was still trying to bring back that bastard of an Uchiha back to the village. You are his teammate for fuck's sake, have some respect!" she snarled lowly, like a lioness biting back her roar in mind of her surroundings.

"You don't know anything." Sakura snorted, huffing in disgust. "My mom was right, after what he did to Sasuke-kun, I know he is the demon the rumors claim him to be. He could just go somewhere and die for all I care…!"

She was cut off before she could spout off any more venom. "Leave." Temari whispered, her voice frigid as an iceberg. "…before I make you, and in the process put you in the same ward as your precious Uchiha-kun while I'm at it - allied villages be damned…!" she whispered, her tone ever the tempestuous one.

Sakura shivered from the tone, knowing full well she was more than capable of carrying out said threat if need be. Plus, her own abilities were anything but confidence inspiring. "Fine. Stay here for the demon to wake up then, I couldn't care less." she huffed again and walked away, leaving an irate Suna heiress behind.

Taking deep breaths to calm herself down before she threw a tantrum, Temari sighed, "Temari, what's wrong?" turning around with a start, Temari was met with a familiar pair of teal eyes, her eyes softened seeing them, "What has you so riled up, sister?" a monotonous voice asked.

"Everything's fine Gaara, nothing for you to worry about." she assured him halfheartedly. Gaara nodded, knowing full well she was lying, but also knew that she must have had to have her own reasons for doing so and left it at that.

Temari was glad he didn't probe any further, even if the thought of ridding the face of the earth from the plague of one bubble gum haired banshee was much too tempting, she decided that in the end, it just wasn't worth it. "Then why are you covered in blood?" he asked, as monotonous and stoic as ever.

She looked down to herself, only now realizing how she was appearing to others around her. "It's not my blood." her answer made Gaara curious, did his sister kill someone too? Improbable, not impossible he thought. The idea was tempting though, "It's Naruto's." he went stiff, stiff as a board hearing that.

His eyes widened in disbelief. "Is he alright?" he asked. Even as cold as he was, even Temari could see the urgency in his eyes, small wonder for her brother to act that way after what Naruto had done for him, she mused.

She nodded an affirmative, "Tsunade-sama is treating him at present, I heard from her his healing is inhumanely fast and add to that her skills, she'll have him out of harm's way in no time." she assured him soothingly, and it worked.

He nodded, trusting her enough on this, "We must head back to the village then." he said. Her heart skipped a beat for some odd reason, she didn't want to leave, not yet. "The village council has called back all shinobi we have at our disposal at once, they must take a decision on what the next course of action for our village will be." she wanted to argue, not knowing why, but in the end said nothing.

She knew full well as to why they, or more specifically he, was being called back. The village was weak and distraught at the moment, so they must have their ultimate weapon at their disposal to show their strength in front of any and all who may think of taking advantage of Suna's weakened state right now.

Even if she loathed it with all her heart, it was what it was. Nodding vehemently, she got up and walked out to head to the changing room. She needed to change her clothes with the spares she kept for such times after all, and even if a tiny part of her heart made her glance back again and again back to the operating room behind her, she trudged her way out without another word.

Duties came first after all.

* * *

 **Six months later**

* * *

 **A small civilian village in the Land of Wind…**

* * *

Walking down the barren streets in the scorching afternoon of this desert village, was one Temari Sabaku. In her hands were a bundle of papers, some supply orders she was assigned to get signed by one of their merchant traders.

Letting her eyes trail up to the sky while covering them with her hand for a failed attempt at shading them, she sighed. "I'm hungry." she whined. It was nearly lunchtime, and apart from some water in the morning, she was apparently running on fumes by now, "I need something to eat, and I need it now!"

Those damned merchants did negotiate hellishly if she were to be honest, but she wasn't so inept as to give in to their demands without slicking her way through it. Stopping outside a shop with a start, she saw a familiar crown of golden tresses clad in an orange jumpsuit hauling crates here and there. She smiled, almost going in to go and slap his back in a happy greeting…almost.

There was certainly something odd about him, to say the least. Now that she looked a bit closely, his clothes were stitched in several places and on top of that, they were tattered even more. They were barely even passable for a wage working civilian laborer, much less a full fledged shinobi.

Dread coiled in her heart like a snake, there was a feeling of melancholy around him. But the thing eating away most at her heart was the one object she couldn't quite see on his person;

His headband.

Walking behind a corner to an alley, she kept an eye on him from afar, her hunger lay all but forgotten now. She saw her going up to the merchant, retrieving some coins, which she surmised as payment for his services. As little as it was, it was all she could make of it at present.

He walked out into the roads, she followed him, still from afar. He stopped at a ramen stand, and for the life of her she couldn't help the fond smile that lit up her face. That boy could inhale ramen, that much she knew from the time she had spent scouting out the details of all the participating genin's seven months ago.

But for some reason or another, he was just staring at it with a far away look, as if he were troubled. But much to her shock, he walked away from it without so much as a back glance. Even if she wasn't sure of her scouting memories during her time from the chunin exams, she was pretty damn sure about hearing of his legendary thirst for ramen broth was something else, it had been the talk of the village at that time, apparently. He never, and she did mean ever, walk away from a ramen stand even if he was dying - that was absolute.

But she digressed, for now at least, and watched him walk up to a fruit stand to buy two pomegranates. Then he walked into a store and came out with a sealed bottle of water in hand. She followed him from the rooftops, taking extreme care to not be seen by anyone around her, especially him.

Following him into an empty alley, she sighed in relief at how surprisingly shady and cold it was, much to her relief, and watched intently as he leaned against a wall to his back and slid down tiredly. She watched him bite hungrily into his fruit and gulping down half his water bottle afterwards. Sitting still for a few minutes, she eventually saw him lie down and usher into sleep.

Deciding she had seen enough already, she walked up to him and shook him awake. Waiting for him to gather his senses, she took this time to run a closer inspection on him while she was at it. Now that she was within arm's length to him, she could see no traces of baby fat that once sat proudly on his cheeks the last time she had laid eyes on him.

But seeing his half lidded baby blue eyes eyeing her in honest confusion, she frowned. "Who are you?" he muttered sleepily.

She frowned even deeper and said nothing, letting him see her even closely. But even after a minute, much to her growing ire, he was eyeing her the same way. "I'm sorry miss, can I help you?" he asked again.

Her frown deepened into a full blown scowl, more so from his lack of energy than his memory gap - the latter only hurt her a bit for some odd reason. She crossed her arms over her knees, "Naruto, it's me Temari. Don't you remember me, even a little?" she asked.

He looked at her oddly, as if she were funny. Tilting his head to the side, quite cutely in her honest opinion, he went to shake his head before realization dawned over him. "Ah." he gasped. "You're Gaara's, right?!" he asked. She nodded, smiling. "It's been a long time…"

"That it has." she agreed.

She was about to question him a bit more, when much to her embarrassment, her stomach grumbled loudly. In a snap, a pomegranate was in front of her face with it's bearer extending his hand to her innocently. "Take it, you seem hungry." he said, in an unusually small voice, she noted.

She blushed, taking it from him gratefully. "Thank you."she whispered, biting into it without another thought. She went past the fruit in what seemed like seconds to her, Naruto handed her his half filled bottle which she accepted with a grateful nod.

"So Naruto…" she asked, he perked up. "What are you doing here all alone? Out on a mission or something?" she asked.

He looked down, suddenly finding his lap much too interesting and shook his head. "I'm not a shinobi anymore Temari, I was banished from the village six months ago." he whispered, his voice downtrodden.

It felt as if someone had dropped a house on her heart, she couldn't believe her ears. "W-What?!" she asked incredulously, almost believing he was joking…right?

He hadn't noticed her question it seemed, and went on, undeterred. "They banished me from the village six months ago after the retrieval mission we did to bring back Sasuke, I guess you didn't hear about it, huh?" he asked, she shook her head in denial. "I'm barred from entering the Land of Fire or any of it's allied countries including Wave and Spring, or will face immediate execution for breaking said laws." he whispered, as if he were day dreaming.

To say Temari was shocked was an understatement. "Then what are you doing out here, Naruto?" she asked. "Why not join some other village or something?"

He chuckled a hollow laugh, devoid of all humor. It made hair rise on her neck for some odd reason, "Iwa, and all their allied villages are still resentful of Konoha, they would rather see me dead than take me in." he replied, and she could see sense in that assessment. "Kumo, if they somehow found out about me being a jinchuriki, would rather extract the Kyuubi into one of their own loyal shinobi, killing me in the process to increase their owns strengths. Kiri is still in a civil war, so they too want some jinchuriki of their own for their own reasons. And the smaller villages won't even look at me straight, it causes unrest among major villages if some minor village hosts the most powerful of the nine."

A small streak of water lined her eyelashes, "Then how have you been getting by Naruto, what are you doing here?" she asked.

He smiled and looked down at his lap , unknowingly causing his hair to foreshadow his eyes. "By going to ask help from minor villages, I caused word to spread around that a jinchuriki is roaming free and up for the taking. The Akatsuki was already after me, so I came here one day and went into hiding. I don't use any chakra or techniques here to risk getting sniffed out, the merchants here give me some work every now and then. They are not permanent, just some odd jobs here and there. No one wants a boy with a shady background like me around them for any longer than what is absolutely necessary, I guess. I make fifty or even a hundred ryo two or three times a week, it isn't much but I make do by cutting some meals here and there. Us ninja's are trained to survive anyways and I've been surviving since I was born, so it's fine." he smiled, small drops now streaking down his nose onto his lap.

Her own eyes watered, she was barely holding back a choke of her own. "Then why did you give me your fruit and water?" she whispered, still not understanding anything at all even if she could make complete sense out of it. He smiled at her, flicking his head sideways to cause glistering drops flick aside from his eyes, "I know what being hungry feels like, plus, you're a friend. No one deserves to starve for any reason, no matter who it is -"

That was all he could say before her slender arms were encircled tightly around his neck, she hugged him. To think he had offered her his food without a second thought when he never had enough for himself, just…how?

Naruto stiffened for a moment, he hadn't been hugged like this for years now. Ever since the Third Hokage had stopped seeing him as a child, only Tsunade had ever gone and hugged him. But his own will wavered, he hugged her back shakily. "Let it out…" her small whisper was all it took to make him shrink in on himself and hide himself in her arms.

Finally the great dam holding back his heart broke. He hadn't cried when his friends and own teachers had reprimanded him for raising a lethal hand against Sasuke, the same person he was supposed to retrieve back safely. He hadn't cried when Sakura, the girl his heart always skipped a beat for, had told him to his face that it was good that the village was finally ridding itself of the demon that had plagued them for more than a decade now, and he just might even do the world a favor and die.

But today, today it was different. The affection behind the hug had made his will waver, it wasn't grandfatherly like Hiruzen used to give him, it wasn't motherly like Tsunade used to glomp him…it was different.

And he loved it.

It had shattered his iron strong barriers like glass, he trembled, at his own weaknesses now being up for the world to see, or his hopelessness now emitting out of him in spades, he did not know.

He hated to do it, but he wanted to let it out.

It had been so long…so so long.

Temari held his trembling form for what seemed like hours, hours before he finally fell unconscious. From trembling, crying, hunger or tiredness…she did not know. All she knew was that he had needed to let it out, and she was glad it was her shoulder he had trusted to do it on. Lifting him up the same as she had done months ago, she instantly noticed the lack of weight baring down on her from last time. He was feather light, even lighter than her!

She checked into a local inn, placed him on a bed and ordered some ramen from the attendant on his way out. Zipping down the fastener holding his jacket close, she took it off of him gently, being extra careful not to wake him up by accident when he finally looked so peacefully happy.

His body showed heavy signs of malnutrition, bone lines were evident everywhere on his torso, but the muscles on his arms were still ripped - much to her surprise. Was it from regular odd jobs without chakra enhancements or plain old buff from demonic chakra coursing in his veins to help him survive his ordeals, she did not know, neither did she want to.

She shook him awake after an hour later, when the lunch finally came, and sat by his side. Naruto groggily opened his eyes, feeling a soothing hand brushing his hair lovingly and teal green eyes looking down at him in what seemed to be in pure adoration, "Temari…" he asked. Sitting up, he looked around and regained his bearings, only to grow even more confused seeing his unusual surroundings.

Why was he in a room? Was she here to capture him too?

Suddenly, a steaming bowl of ramen was pushed onto his lap, courtesy of a fondly smiling Temari. "Eat up." she said, he perked up in surprise. "I took your lunch, so it's only fair if I pay you back, right?" she asked coyly.

He looked at her, his eyes flashing innocent confusion. She folded a pair of chopsticks into his hands and gave them a squeeze of assurance. "Eat." she whispered softly.

He was hesitant, after all it was just not right to take a full meal in exchange for a single fruit, was it? But he had no idea when he might chance upon such an offer next time. So, "Thank you." he whispered, and dug in - being extra careful not spill or waste any noodley goodness whatsoever.

Temari sat there, her cheek plump in her palm as she watched him eat with gentle eyes. Quite honestly, she was saddened at the look in his eyes, it almost seemed as if that bowl was the most precious thing to him in the world right now - but what burned her the most was that, she was right, and she knew it.

He finished the bowl in no more than a minute, she could see he was still hungry as she had expected him to be, and pushed a new steaming bowl onto his lap. "Go on." she said.

He nodded, almost going in for another bite before he stopped and looked at the bowl warily. "Is it poisoned?" he asked.

She frowned, not at the small voice he talked in, or even the suspicion he had just forced over her - but from the point that he didn't even seem the least bit concerned over what she was about to answer him. "No." she whispered honestly, giving his hand a gentle squeeze, "It isn't poisoned Naruto, trust me."

He nodded, not meeting her eyes in the least. Her soft voice made his heart twist strangely, and he didn't like it, not one bit. She handed him a glass of water, one that he drank slowly before she wiped off his face with a tissue as if he were the child and she the mother.

Involuntarily, a soft yawn snaked past his lips, his eyes drooping from being lounged on such a comfortable bed after sleeping his days away on the rock hard ground for months on end. Always having to keep your eyes and ears peeled for thugs on the streets, or worse, the people after him…wasn't a thought that was currently present in his mind either.

He was just tired.

A hand gently pushed down his chest, forcing him to lay down his head on the pillow when a soft sensation ran over his forehead. "Sleep now, you need the rest. You're tired, right?" a cooing whisper told him. His lidded eyes looked unsure, but the weakness of months and the quiet comfort of bed finally overtook his vigilante senses. The safety of a place away from the harsh weathers of deserts with a roof on top to cover his head made him doze off almost instantly.

But what finally did him in was the soft velvet like hand that was rubbing his sensitive whiskers so tenderly. In a turn of surprise she hadn't expected, like an infant kitten, Naruto curled up into her arms and snuggled himself to sleep. "Idiot." she giggled. Leaning down on her elbow, her eyes just fondly watched him sleep in her chest like a baby, his soft purrs lulling her own eyes to sleep mere moments later.

Naruto woke up, feeling quite possibly the best he could remember as far as his memory served him, only to see Temari cuddled up by his side. Her head was on his chest, both her arms hugging him like a bear while his own arm was wrapped protectively across her waist. He shook her gently. "Temari, wake up."

Her teal eyes opened, realizing her compromising position, she blinked. "Naruto…?" she asked, he nodded.

Had it been anyone else, absolutely anyone else, she would have beaten them senseless while yelling obscenities. But seeing his eyes looking so honestly confused, even more so than her own, it made even her sleepy and extremely volatile senses melt. She sat up and rubbed her eyes off their sleep. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, it was unconscious, you know…" Naruto mumbled.

She nodded, already figuring as much. "I know."

He nodded back while she yawned sleepily. "Plus, I have a habit of cuddling up to the soft toys I have in my room, so I guess I am to blame..." she whispered.

Realization struck her, horror overtook her entire being and she jerked awake in disbelief, almost not believing what she had just unraveled to another person who wasn't her sibling.

She looked at Naruto and blushed, half expecting him to outright laugh or making fun of her. Instead, Naruto just got up in an uncaring fashion and went to retrieve his jacket from the hanger. "I'm sorry I bothered you so much. I must take my leave now, thank you for the hospitality Temari." he thanked her.

She caught his wrist and pulled him back by her side, he eyed her in confusion. "Don't go." she told him. "Stay with me tonight. There's enough room for the both of us, see?" she asked, motioning her arms around the room extravagantly.

Naruto fiddled uncomfortably, he wanted to, Kami knew he wanted to!

But was it safe for him, _"Can I trust her…?"_ he thought.

But seeing her eyes looking at him in nothing but warmth and concern, his doubts vanished. _"I have nothing to lose anyways, even if it's a trap."_ he thought. He was much too tired already, of life itself, committing seppuku in few days had been his plan all along - so what was there to fear now anyways?

Even if it was a trap, why not just stay here with her in his last moments. Although it might have been fake, some care and concern in his last moments would be nice, right ?, "Alright." he agreed, and she beamed with a happy nod. "Are you hungry, then?" she asked, and got yet another shy nod.

She got up to go out and order for room service before turning around for a moment. "Naruto…" she garnered his attention. "Go and take a shower while I come back, there's some robes from the inn inside, so you can use them for the time being." he nodded, and she went out.

Walking in to the bathroom, he undressed, and started working on washing his clothes. It was a force of habit he had from his childhood, looks like it might die with him, right? The idea itself was laughable, at least to him. Plus, water in the Land of Wind had always been quite scarce to begin with, so it was only natural that he had retained this habit, he supposed. But walking into the cold shower, it felt heavenly he had to admit. The soap started lathering away as grime and sand started accumulating down his feet.

His hair, still normal length since he sliced them regularly with a kunai, more so to resist the scorching heat in the desert than keep them kempt, his skin shone once more like it had for years in the past. Walking out, he was greeted with a fondly smiling Temari. _"He looks so much better now…"_ she mused inwardly.

Gesturing her hand to the table, both sat on the dining table filled to the brim with food. Filling up a plate with ample amounts of rice before drizzling it with an extra load of curry, Temari gladly handed it to the gratefully nodding boy. Both ate in silence, Temari to gather up her mind while Naruto was much too interested in the food offered to notice her expressions. The attendant came and take the utensils away, leaving behind a couple of blondes shifting uncomfortably in their seats.

Temari had no idea how engage a conversation with him, while Naruto himself had no idea what to say. Had had scarcely had anyone to talk to for quite some time, and even if he had, she was a kunoichi while he was no longer a ninja anymore. He had no idea what to say, so he kept silent.

Finally, Temari sighed. "Naruto…" she kept a hand on his lap to calm the surprised boy down. "Can I ask you something?" she asked softly.

He nodded, not seeing any problems with it. "Anything Temari, I don't have anything to hide you know." he replied earnestly.

She smiled, patting his thigh reassuringly. "What exactly happened after I left you at the hospital that day? Tell me everything."

 _And so his tale began…_

* * *

 _ **Flashback**_

* * *

The esteemed chambers in the Hokage Tower housing the council governing the village, Tsunade tapped her index finger impatiently on the table. Unknown to herself, splinters rose and fell as her nail ground out the wood itself from the inhumane taps she was making on the timber.

Even as masked as her veteran gaze was, she had a feeling of foreboding about this. An urgent meeting with these old coots was never a good thing, especially if the smirks that threatened to cover their faces were anything to go by. Koharu, being the most influential one here, decided to start the proceedings, "Hokage-sama, we called this meeting to inspect the reports handed in by all squad mates sent to retrieve Uchiha Sasuke. Especially the reports concerning Uzumaki Naruto." she started.

Bile rose in her throat, this wasn't looking good, "I'm sorry, but with my medical duties I haven't had a chance to go over those reports. Even still, what did you wish to discuss?" she suppressed her fears and masked her poker face on.

"Genin Uzumaki used two tails worth of demonic chakra, chakra of the Nine Tailed Fox, and lost control over it to the point of almost killing Uchiha-sama - the victim he was sent to retrieve, his teammate and by proxy a Leaf shinobi - all because he wanted to show him who the best among them was." Koharu finished.

Tsunade's eyes were downright murderous, "I've seen both their injuries, and let me tell you Naruto's injuries were far more grave than what that _Uchiha_ had. How can you claim he lost control just like that, where is the proof?" she retorted.

In a surprising turn of events, "That could be attributed to the inherent skills and genius of the Uchiha, no?" asked Danzo. "He aced the academy, possesses the revered Sharingan and fully matured it in battle with Uzumaki. Had it been anybody else…"

He left the threat hanging, murmurs rang reverberated around the quiet chambers like buzzing bees, "Tsunade…" Homura fixed his glasses wisely, "…the council has deemed the boy an advent threat that must be suppressed, now." he explained.

Seeing almost no rebuttal, instead a handful of smiles, Tsunade bristled, "He is no threat…"

"We do not have the Mokuton anymore, neither do we possess the knowledge and sealing abilities of our past three Hokage's either. Do you truly believe you could suppress the full might of the Nine Tails all on your own if need be, Tsunade?" asked Danzo.

Tsunade glared, but said nothing. As much as she loathed to admit it, that damned cripple was right, "Even still…" she protested.

"Genin Uzumaki will be banished, that is the decision of the council Tsunade." Koharu cut her off.

Tsunade, having had finally enough, slammed her hand down on the table with a bang, "You make no decisions fools!" she roared. "I AM THE HOKAGE!"

Her declaration had absolutely no effect on them, instead they seemed amused, "That may be so, but this…" Homura threw a scroll on the table, unfurling it in front of her. The official seal of the Daimyo made Tsunade's eyes go wide, "…makes your say on the matter useless." he finished victoriously.

Tsunade, barely restraining herself from lashing out and snapping some necks, glared at them. Especially Danzo, "You too Danzo?" she asked, her voice incredulous and disbelieving. "No one knows more than you how much we need him." she pleaded.

The man shifted uncomfortably, she thought she had struck a cord, "Be that as it may, a weapon ticking to blow up in our faces is worse than having no weapon at all. We haven't used that resource anytime in the past, history serves us well hime." he finished stoically.

"The council and the Daimyo himself has deemed Uzumaki a threat to the village. The decision is unanimous, there is nothing you can do. Do not let personal feelings take over Tsunade, this was precisely why the Nidaime laid down such laws."

As much as loved the deceased man, she cursed her granduncle inwardly. "The seal is weakening, we will extinguish the threat before it ever comes to be. You have till dawn to let him know, or we will do it for you. That is all we can give you Tsunade, the council may be dismissed."

All elders, shinobi council members and civilian leaders got up to leave. Tsunade's eyes watered, she gripped the parchment in her hands in an iron grip. She felt so helpless that she hated herself for it, "Remember this day well…" she whispered.

Each one of them stopped for a moment before walking away, leaving a sobbing Tsunade behind them.

* * *

 _ **Konoha Hospital**_

* * *

Like shining fingers, sun rays peered through the open windows and lit awake the dank white walls with their luster. The gentle click of the door and slight shuffling of footsteps breathed a new life in the silent space.

Groggily blinking his eyes open, Naruto yawned. Though laying first glance at his visitor, he grinned, "Hey Saku-!"

 _ **SLAP!**_

Craning his neck around, eyes wide in disbelief, "What was that for?" he asked. Tilting his head aside, he couldn't quite comprehend the furious expression over his crush's face or why it was there in the first place. "I brought Sasuke back like I promised, didn't I?" he asked again. "Why did you slap me?"

"Brought him back you say?" she hissed. He flinched back on instinct, almost raising his arm up in self defense he sat on guard. "I asked you to bring him back to me, not kill him in the process you idiot!" she snarled.

He sat there, stunned. Naruto himself knew Sasuke couldn't be dead, he had made sure not to land any fatal blows no matter what it caused him in the end, but, did she not see the condition he was in when he came back?

Or right now, for that matter…!

"My mother and the rest of the village were right…" blinking in confusion, the stumped boy couldn't even make sense out of this conversation right now. "…you really are a demon!"

His wounds didn't hurt him as much as her screech, her words in particular, had hurt him. It was one thing to hear it from strangers he didn't know, but to hear it from the girl he adored, "Don't worry anymore, my mother is on the council. You be damned sure that she'd make sure to have you levied the highest punishment possible, banishment at the very least! How dare you hurt my Sasuke-kun you damned demon filth…?!"

His eyes were clouded by the time her screeches halted, he couldn't even see her leave the room other than the audible click his door made. He hadn't expected that, and after hearing that venom from her mouth, he honestly felt betrayed.

The same thing happened all over again with Ino, she too came to threaten him all the same by naming her father's influential position he was well aware of himself. Shikamaru too, had come to reprimand him on almost causing their rescued heir to die, thereby making all their life endangering attempts almost negated. Kakashi had came in to wisely teach him , how he should have tried to talk it out with his friends, but more so how ashamed he was that he had openly made the first direct contact on his teammate with a technique as dangerous as the Rasengan.

But the cherry on top had been Jiraiya, going so far as to absolving his Toad contract and by effect his apprenticeship for shaming him by raising a killing attack on his comrade, with a technique taught to him by the sage himself. Sasuke had certainly gone through great lengths at concocting this makeshift story, he had concluded, but the delusions his so called friends had accepted without a grain of salt were the ones that truly baffled him to no ends.

* * *

 _ **Next Morning**_

* * *

 _ **Hokage Office**_

* * *

A warm cup of sake lay filled on her table, but for the life of her, Senju Tsunade had not the courage to muster up and gulp it down her throat. She had called for her ANBU to retrieve Naruto, and guilt and regret were already gnawing away at her heart like lead stakes.

A puff of smoke later, standing there with all the conjured up confusion of the word was one orange jumpsuit clad, blonde haired genin, "Obaa-chan?!" he whispered, utterly confused. "Why did you call me out so early? I'm still tired from my injuries you know, can't this wait till tomorrow?"

Seeing the innocence still lingering in those azure orbs, she all but muted out his adorable voice her heart couldn't get enough of. Steeling herself, "Genin Uzumaki Naruto, Registration ID - 17782." she said.

Naruto straightened up, knowing what protocol had just been initiated with those words. This particular introduction was only used by the village leader in case a matter of utmost importance rose up, one that went as far as to delve out these guarded details known to no one but the Kage and their shinobi themselves, "Hai." he said, his voice serious and lacking of all it's usual chirp.

"Genin Uzumaki Naruto…" with a sharp intake of breath, she started, "…you are hereby stripped of your shinobi status and hereby banished from the Village Hidden in the Leaves for an undisclosed time…"

"B-But why?" he whispered.

"On the grounds of losing control over a power you had no control over, and effectively using said power to almost kill and or cripple a ninja you were sent to retrieve unharmed. You have been deemed a threat to the Leaf, and by the order of the Fire Lord himself banished, effective immediately."

His eyes welled up in unshed tears, the air itself felt thick and melancholic, "You may not enter the Land of Fire or any of it's allied nations - the Spring and Wave included - least you be executed without pending trial. By the powers bestowed upon me by the village laws - please hand over your headband."

She pushed her hand forth, not meeting his broken gaze in the slightest. His hands shakily rose up and pulled out the object from his pocket, brushing it with his thumb for a lasting moment while memories of how he had achieved it flashed through his eyes, he placed it on the desk along with another object that made Tsunade's heart shatter in a million pieces, "I won't be needing this anymore either, Tsunade-sama."

Pulling back his mask to hide his emotions, the necklace he had won fair and square was returned to it's owner with a sad smile. Hearing him call her so formally had been the last straw, Tsunade broke down into a heap of sobbing mess, "When do I leave, Tsunade-sama…?" he asked, voice hollow as an empty shell of paper.

"Two hours…you have-two…" she told him, her voice cracking in choked sobs. Her trembling hands cradled the two objects as if they were her own heart, which wasn't further away from the truth as one might expect.

"I'll be taking my leave then." he stated. Her eyes went wide, "Wait, Naruto…!" she blurted out, he eyed her vehemently.

Pulling out an old wooden parchment out from her drawer, she handed him the antiquity looking scroll shakily, "Sarutobi-sensei was supposed to hand this over either when you turned 16 or became a jonin, after his demise, I was entrusted to the task." she told him, watching in slight envy how his eyes glazed over in fondness hearing that name. "…it is supposed to contain your parent's legacy. No one can open it besides you, it is linked to your blood and chakra specifically."

She couldn't say no more for it was all Naruto could hear before he had snatched it off her palms like a starved predator, "You knew them?" he asked her. She shook her head, almost shivering how icy his voice had been.

"No one but Sarutobi-sensei knew of them, he took that information to the grave. That scroll is the last piece we have of their legacy…" she admitted. He nodded, clutching the scroll as if it might slip out any which moment now. Clouded hazelnut orbs watched him walk out in pure anguish, all lost to herself and the portraits hanging - staring down on her - from the wall.

His feet took him home, eyes as lifeless as the reaper Naruto stared at the walls of his apartment with nothing but emptiness.

"Die Demon!"

"For the Yondaime/Uchiha!"

In the end though, he smiled, "I guess it was for the better…" his words lacked any conviction, or even life in general. Before even stepping in, he knew what to expect when the door to his 'home' was unlocked.

It was already broken in.

Anything of value was stolen, not that there was much of it in the first place, while the rest was demolished in some way or the other. He worked his way around the trashed room, swiping off the trash from the floor to lift up a tatami mat, one he had burrowed in thoroughly for these kinds of emergencies in particular, and retrieved out a couple pairs of clothes and supplies.

Leaving the house, not before glancing longingly at the Hokage Monument clear in view from his balcony, he made his to the gates only to stop dead seeing the last person on earth he wanted to see right now.

Uchiha Sasuke.

"Dobe." he greeted in distaste. Naruto didn't say anything, he breezed past him wordlessly as if he were a mere obstacle in his path.

Something Sasuke did not take lightly, "Now do you see what you get for trying to deny an Uchiha loser?" he snarled. Naruto stopped for a moment too long, inching to retort but in the end, he walked away without a word.

There really was no weight to his words now, was there?

"You are lucky to be left alive after what you did to your best friend, demon! Maybe the gods above may have seen your diabolical actions and may even enact their judgment on you!" a voice he had once adored, screeched from behind him. Even as rigid as Naruto willed his heart to be, that one stung.

With each step he took away from the village, a piece of his dreams and life died in blissful harmony.

* * *

 _ **End of Flashback**_

* * *

"And that was when I started my lone journey out in the world before eventually settling here at last, the way you see me earlier is probably what I've lived like since the time I first came here." he told her. She had no words, her eyes looked at him with such love and affection that it made him feel a bit queasy. It was so confusing, "If you have any plans to use or even kill me, then you may as well tell me. I promise I won't resist."

This snapped her out of her daze, "What?!" she asked incredulously.

He smiled softly, closing his eyes in a vain attempt to hide their mistiness, "Just let me have a few days of rest, if you can, then I'll come peacefully wherever you want me to. As I said, I won't resist. I was already planning on killing myself in a few days regardless, so if I can be of some use to you maybe it will have some meaning-"

Naruto could say no more, his voice cracked and choked. Temari sat frozen in her spot, unable to conjure up a single coherent thought. Disgusted was she with herself that she even had anything to do with that spit hell had spat down on earth, one those bastards called a hidden village, but it was solidified even more so for her that she was even considering on the offer one of those worms had made to ask her out on a date. That damned lazy ass was one of them too no matter who or how he may be, and that twisted her mind in ways she absolutely did not desire.

But nothing vengeful could make her tear her eyes away from those endless pools of anguish she was presently staring into, those azure orbs looked so broken and lost. They lacked any of their usual shine or luster, and it all demented her to think that he really did have nothing to live for.

She opened her arms a little, motioning for him to come to her. He hesitated, but saw nothing other than warmth and understanding in those teal eyes of hers. On instincts he fell forward, willing himself in her arms for anything she may want. It frightened Temari to her core since she knew this boy never lied, a fact that was laughable for a shinobi even though it made him all the more special in her eyes, so he was only telling the truth about ending his own life.

Tears streamed down her cheeks, she sniffled and buried his head in her chest tightly. Her chin resting on his head, she held his shivering form with a sad smile. She really was glad he was letting down all his barriers for her, "I won't ever dream of hurting you Naruto." she softly consoled him, it only served his wails to get louder and louder. She tried to kiss his head okay, "Trust me when I say this, I'll make it all better. Do you trust me, Naruto?"

He only nodded, too engrossed was he in absorbing all this affection she was showering him in. It was the only thing he craved for, not money, not luxury, not even food or attention - all that his his body craved now was love. He snuggled in her arms, eliciting a giggle from the girl who was more than happy to let him be comfortable and calm himself down. She did not know how long she held him before his cries eventually died down into sleepy little purrs. His body needed all the rest it could get after all those months of strain, she knew that, it had to have endured so much just for the primal need of survival. A week could take it's toll on a ninja, a month or two was what veterans were hired for, he had endured this hell for almost a year. She pulled him down with her under the sheets, and just for that moment, in her tight embrace, she hid him from the entire world.

"Trust me Naruto, I'll make it alright."

* * *

 _ **Author's notes : This is the reworked first chapter I decided to do after going through it again. My first attempt had ostensibly left so many holes in the plot line such as why it was that Naruto was banished, or how Danzo go through with it and such that I felt the need to go through this again before I released any further chapters.**_

 _ **For any who feel like my first attempt was better, I'd release it under a new story title if you wish since I do keep my old drafts intact for references but I don't think after this there will be any need for it to be read. I covered everything while being mindful not to change the plot in the slightest, and it does help me to get re-tuned with the story since I have been away from it for so long.**_

 _ **Sorry for the wait, but as I said, with the time I have I am trying to post as many words as I could. I didn't even realize when I crossed over double the words in this rewrite as compared to the first draft, so maybe this will make new readers fall for my story a bit more, after all a prologue is paramount, right?**_

 _ **Well, as always, keep reading and reviewing (I love all you guys for so many reviews and follows you've given this story) and I'll see you next time.**_

 _ **Ja Ne ;)**_

* * *

 _ **PS : I am going to go through a reading session to read all my story again so I can perfectly continue my half written draft for chapter 19 (unless you people want me to rewrite some other chapter, do leave it in the reviews for any faults you may or may not encounter. I am always all ears for negative criticism.)**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Naruto : Desert Flower**

* * *

 **Land of Wind**

 **Small Civilian Village**

* * *

 **At around 2:00 in the morning**

* * *

Temari was sleeping in her bed as she felt the bed besides her feel empty and her eyes snapped open as she saw the door to the balcony open and the breeze flowing the curtain inwards as she immediately got out of bed thinking her sun kissed blonde haired friend had run off as she stepped into the balcony to see him sitting on the balcony railing reading a letter in the moonlight as she stepped up and sat beside him. He turned to her giving her a small apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry I woke you up." He apologized softly and she smiled at him gently and shook her head.

"No I was just worried where you went. So what are you doing out here in the cold. The breeze is quite cold tonight" she said wrapping up the bedsheet that she brought with her a little over his shoulder too. He thanked her and she scooted closer to him as their arms touched a bit and she stopped as her gaze turned to the letter he was reading.

"So who's that letter from you're reading?" she asked curiously and he glanced at the letter in his hand sadly and answered.

"It's from my parents. The only thing I ever knew that they said to me. Their last words, I read it every night for the past six months you know since there was no one to talk to I just made it a connection to my parents." He said and she smiled as she put an arm around his waist and scooted closer to him.

"They must have been great people." She whispered and he nodded with a small smile as he too wrapped his arm around her unconsciously and rolled up the scroll sealing it as both sat in the moonlight gazing at the moon.

"Temari why are you being so nice to me? What do you want?" he asked in a vulnerable tone and she put her head on his shoulder snuggling into the warmth away from the cold breeze.

"I want to help you Naruto just as you helped me." She whispered and he was confused and she sensed his confusion as she spoke.

"That time when you fought Gaara in the forest I thought I was done for as no one who has ever faced my brother in a full possession has ever survived except my father who had the revered kekkei genkai of the third Kazekage to subdue him. But then you came in kicking him away and proceeded to do thing that I had never imagined possible. You took down Gaara at his best and saved the lives of most of your village and mine. And even then you had mercy on Gaara as you knew the pain he endured and you changed him." She whispered and he rubbed her arm to make her a bit warmer and pulled her closer as she snuggled and clutched the bedsheet tightly enjoying how warm he felt.

"You don't know how much you have changed Gaara. He no longer kills anyone unnecessarily and suppresses the urges of his bijuu. The villagers and shinobi were still wary of him at first but over the months they saw how he didn't kill anyone and always helped his teammates on missions and they started respecting him. Ever since he fought you he has been the little brother that I always wanted. You don't know how much it means to me." She whispered the last part with a hiccup as Naruto rubbed her arm soothing her. He was surprised that he had changed Gaara so much and was happy that his friend now had the respect of his village unlike him. He smiled a sad smile, he wished his village too had at the very least tolerated his existence if not acknowledge him.

"I'm glad I was able to help you Temari though I don't think I did anything that great for you to hel…" he was interrupted as Temari put her fingers on his lips and smiled at him.

"Shush… you don't know how much you have helped Gaara and the village and me. Gaara respects you above all others even more than a brother would and you have great respect in the village for changing him for the better." She spoke softly and removed her fingers as his eyes watered. They respected him and admired him and Gaara saw him as more than a brother there.

"Really?" he whispered and she nodded with a smile as a tear rolled down his eye and she hugged him close to her burying his face in her neck as she ran her fingers through his golden locks.

"Yes really. Naruto come with me to Suna you can live a good life there you deserve it." She whispered as he broke off the hug and faced her with a sad smile shaking his head.

"I can't Temari sand is allied to the leaf I am not allowed in your village to even step foot in it let alone live there. Even if the people acknowledge me your Kage won't be willing to tense the relations between the villages for someone as worthless as me." He said his hair shadowing his eyes and tears dropping as she put a hand on his cheek and made him gaze into her eyes.

"You can come Naruto trust me. Do you know who the Godaime Kazekage is?" she asked softly rubbing his cheeks with both her hands as she wiped his tears with her thumb and he shook his head softly and she gave him a small smile as she gazed into his deep cerulean orbs that she noticed gave away his every emotion. He couldn't lie to her even if he wanted to his eyes would certainly give him away she thought gazing in those beautiful eyes that were shining with tears.

"Gaara became the Godaime Kazekage two months ago. The council makes votes on his decisions since he is too young but his word has a lot of weight in the village now and the council would love to have a shinobi that is on par with my brother and isn't tied to any village and neither is he a nuke nin." She spoke softly and she gazed into his tear streaming eyes as she saw a spark of hope and the glint that they used to hold before return.

"Really do you think he will do that for me? And will your village accept me, there is the law of the leaf council too." He said unsure of what to feel as she smiled at his nervousness.

"Naruto, leaf and sand are just neutral and can have good relations in the future because of the mutual betrayal of Orochimaru that we faced, but the fact that Konoha is still pushing for missions from our clients to make up for the losses is still straining the relationship and I assure you that the law concerning you hasn't been accepted by Suna otherwise Gaara would have found out and dismissed it. We didn't even know you were banished like that or Gaara would have sent search parties for you and brought you under the care of the sand village. Trust me Naruto you will be accepted there. Believe me." She said softly and he hugged her tightly crying happily as he said in between sobs.

"I believe you Temari." He said and she smiled and rubbed his back and ran her fingers through his hair as he stopped crying and looked at her with tired and puffy red eyes and cheeks and she thought his red cheeks with those whiskers made him look so cute shining in the moonlight as a yawn escaped both of them at the same time and she giggled.

"Alright let's sleep and stay in until late tomorrow we could both use the rest." She said softly and he nodded as both walked into the room and Naruto started to walk up to the couch as she caught his wrist and looked at him with confusion.

"Where are you going?" she asked and he pointed at the couch and she frowned.

"I'll sleep on the couch and you can have the bed it'll be comfortable for you that way." He spoke in his soft voice and she pulled on the bed with her throwing him in the blanket as she went in and cuddled up to him.

"No we can share the bed and I need something to hold on to. Be my pillow." She said pouting and wrapped her arms around him putting her head on his chest as he brought her closer with his arm and she buried her face in his neck smiling at how form he felt.

"Good Night Naruto." She said yawning cutely.

"Good night Temari." He whispered and closed his eyes as he after many months he slept with a smile on his face.

* * *

 **Next Day**

 **At Noon**

* * *

Temari woke up with a yawn as she gazed up at Naruto who was wrapped with her and was sleeping peacefully and smiled. She didn't understand why she felt so comfortable and safe to even sleep with him. She had never let her brothers even into her rooms before let alone stay with her in the same bed. But he had such innocence in him that she couldn't feel an ounce of fear from him. She just couldn't believe that this frail and vulnerable boy with her was the same hyperactive knucklehead that she saw a few months back and how broken and alone he was and how his so called friends had betrayed him. She put her hand on his cheek rubbing his whiskers softly as he snuggled into her hand like a fox and she giggled. Naruto hearing and feeling the vibrations of her giggles woke up and opened his eyes to see Temari playing with his whiskers and smile a little at her.

"Morning Temari." He whispered.

"Good Morning Naruto." She whispered back with a smile as a knock on the door was heard and she groaned inwardly and said.

"Come in." she said as a waitress came in and blushed at seeing the two cuddling and Temari herself blushed at her implications. She glanced at Naruto who was looking at her innocently and she smiled, he didn't even understand what the waitress was staring at.

"Umm I'm sorry I didn't mean to d-disturb you but it is almost l-lunchtime and I was here to ask if you w-wanted something?" she asked blushing and stuttering and Temari nodded not letting go of Naruto in the slightest. She was a proud kunoichi and wasn't embarassed of anything she thought though the faint pink blush betrayed her doubts.

"Yes we'll have anything you recommend alright." She said and the waitress nodded.

"Well the chicken pie with potato wedges is our speciality and would you like something cold to drink with it." She asked noting it down and Temari smiled.

"Yes that would be great." She said as the waitress nodded and left closing the door behind her. She saw Naruto with a hesitant expression and was confused.

"What's wrong Naruto?" she asked softly and he fiddled a bit more as she kept her hand on his face keeping her gaze still on him as she looked at him curiously.

"Umm Temari I don't have any money so I won't be able to pay for anything anytime soon you know so you don't have to order for me." He said nervously and she smiled and nodded.

"I know Naruto and you don't have to pay anything back to me don't worry about it alright. After all there are some perks to be related to two kages you know." She said mischievously and giggled and he too smiled in relief and nodded as she put her head back on his chest. As an hour later the waitress came in with their food and they had freshened up and ate as she saw Naruto eating quickly and caught his wrist gently as she gave him a small smile.

"Naruto eat a little slowly, you might choke on it otherwise and savour the taste, it will feel good alright." She said softly and he looked down depressed and nodded. She was confused as he had stopped eating thinking she had offended him and was about to apologize when he apologized first.

"I'm sorry I've always eaten like that you know. In the orphanage before I was kicked out if I didn't eat it quickly then the other kids took it away from me and the matrons there would punish me for asking more so I started eating like that. I thought that was how we were supposed to eat. I never really shared any meals with anyone other than the old man too and he never pointed it out. Guess he just didn't want to discourage me. No one told me it was wrong until today you know. I wondered why the girls at the Academy would always berate my manners at eating but now I know. Thank you." He said as a few tears dropped and Temari cursed herself for poking him too much, he was still too frail and not the same strong willed ninja he was before she had to keep that in mind and wiped away his tears with the sleeves of her kimono. She smiled reassuringly and spoke.

"It's alright Naruto it is not healthy for you to eat so fast. So eat a bit slowly alright it's better for you." She said and he nodded and ate slowly and she smiled as he was now savouring his meal and had an expression showing he loved the taste that he didn't concentrate on before. Both finished as she saw the time and that they could make it back to Suna in a couple of hours if they went fast and she knew the way around the deserts pretty well she mused and turned to Naruto. She saw his clothes and frowned she knew he had to get some clothes but the village had way better stores than this village and he wouldn't get any Shinobi related equipment here either, plus she was out of money for now as the money she had brought was finished with the bills. She hadn't expected to stay in the village for more than a couple of hours but Naruto was always one to change her life dramatically she mused wearing as he was wearing his worn out sandals and walked besides her and they checked out of the inn and started jumping through the rooftops. It had been such a long time since he had done this and the breeze on his face and the rush of speed felt good again.

"Hey Naruto let's go back to the village we'll make it there by four if we travel at a decent pace and I know all the shortcuts through the desert alright." She said and he nodded with a small smile as they started running through the desert towards the sand village. They ran for a couple of hours as the walls of the village came into view.

* * *

 **Sunagakure no sato**

* * *

Naruto and Temari walked through the village gates as Temari checked in herself and did it for Naruto as a civilian since he was technically a civilian for now. They walked slowly through the streets towards the Kazekage Tower as Naruto looked around in amazement. He hadn't been to Suna before and had to admit it felt good to be back in a hidden village with all the shinobi he saw around. Many of the civilians were staring at him and the state of his clothes and the fact that he was walking with Temari and he looked down trying to avoid the stares and was now feeling conscious of his state of clothes as he walked with his head down not wishing to see the stares. Temari saw it and scowled as she glared right back at them and they quickly turned around and went off to finish off their own work. They reached the main square of the village as the Kazekage Tower came into view.

* * *

 **Kazekage Tower**

 **Kazekage Office**

* * *

Gaara was in his office looking over at the paperwork that he had been assigned to do with the help of his secretary Matsuri. The council wanted Gaara to have help to learn the ways of the village and how to look over village documents. But Gaara was annoyed at being stuck in the pile of paperwork. For a person who wasn't bound to anything his whole life and then suddenly stuck in a pile of paperwork was pretty difficult.

His thoughts wandered around to his sister Temari. He had assigned a simple mission to her yesterday morning and she should have been back by late afternoon but there wasn't any sign of her yet. He was getting worried and he hated this emotion that he had long since forgotten emerging. The fight with Naruto and his will to protect what was precious had changed him and now he had become the Kazekage following in his footsteps. Ironic he thought that he had basically fulfilled the dream that his brother had dreamed of for so long. His mind came back to Temari and he figured if she didn't return by sunset he would send scouting parties for her. He made the decision in his head he returned to the bane of his life and started signing the evil papers. These papers had even better replication skills than Naruto did he mused and got immersed in work.

He was broken out of his thoughts as a knock came on his door and he and Matsuri stopped their scribbling and looked up. He wondered who could be there at this time of the day. Maybe it was Temari he mused.

"Come in." he said monotonously as Temari stepped in her fan slung on her back as she stepped in and Gaara smiled a small smile. He was glad that she was alright. But he was stunned as another person he recognized all too well stepped in and his eyes widened. Blonde hair, cerulean blue eyes, whiskers and the orange clothes there wasn't any doubt, but something was off about him.

"Hi Gaara, it's been a long time." Said Naruto in a small and frail voice and he frowned a bit. The Naruto he knew was never this calm and soft spoken. He gazed into his eyes and was stunned as they almost looked dead to him compared to the shine and determination they once held that had inspired him once. He took a closer look at his attire and his frown deepened. They were in tatters, stitched in several places and were barely hanging on and his sandals looked too worn out. He saw that there was none of the happiness or the goofiness that he usually held but the biggest change he saw was the lack of the leaf headband on his forehead.

"Don't call Kazekage-sama by his name commoner, treat him with the respect he deserves." Yelled Matsuri as she saw he wasn't a ninja because of the lack of headband on him and was just a civilian disrespecting the Kazekage as Naruto took a step back thinking he had offended them somehow.

"I'm sorry Kazekage-sama." He said in a frail voice and looked down nervously and now Gaara scowled something was wrong. He turned an angry gaze at Matsuri who was scared from his look. He was rarely ever angry at her, emotionless yes but now she saw he was livid and that he cared for the stranger too much.

"Apologize and leave." He said monotonously and she instantly obliged as she turned to Naruto.

"I apologize for my rudeness." She said quickly and rushed outside. Naruto said nothing and just stood nervously as Gaara stood up from his chair and walked up to him as he extended his hand for him to shake. Naruto saw the gesture and shook it gently.

"It's indeed been a long time my friend." He said and he nodded with a small smile.

"Indeed it has Kazekage-sama." He said softly and Gaara frowned.

"Please do not call me that. Formalities are unnecessary between us, Gaara is fine." He said and Naruto nodded as he turned to Temari who was watching the interaction with a smile. Gaara rarely ever let anyone call him by his other than her or Kankuro for whom he insisted not to be formal ever. The simple gesture showed her how much he respected Naruto and that made her happy.

"Temari you were supposed to return yesterday afternoon, were you ambushed?" he asked thinking she had been ambushed and Naruto might have helped her and came here to drop her off safely. Temari though shook her head and looked at her curiously.

"No Gaara the mission went as planned. Nothing unexpected happened." She said and he nodded but was even more confused now.

"Then why were you a day and a half late?" he asked and she took a glance at Naruto who was looking down not meeting anyone's eyes and Gaara caught her glance and saw his gesture and was now getting impatient. But Temari spoke up.

"Gaara I had just finished my mission and was heading back to the village after having some lunch when I saw Naruto there and was confused as to what he was doing there and I followed him for a little while. I saw him there and got suspicious as to what he was doing and then." She spoke as she told Gaara everything and Gaara listened to every word with his full rapt attention. He didn't show any outward emotion but on the inside the volcano of emotions he felt hearing her. Anger, hate, pain, betrayal, anguish there weren't any negative emotions that he didn't feel and was almost considering of heading to the gates of the leaf village and unleashing Shukaku there. He listened as Temari was on the verge of breaking down as he stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.

"That's enough. I've heard all I needed to." He said and she nodded rubbing off the tears that were threatening to spill as he turned to his brother who was still looking at his feet his hair shadowing his eyes as he hadn't spoken a word to interrupt her.

"Naruto what Temari said, is it all true?" he asked not believing all of this had happened without him getting the slightest wind of it. Naruto stood in the same position for a moment and Gaara thought he hadn't heard him and was about to say it again when his words were caught in his throat. Small drops started falling from Naruto's eyes as he cried silently and Gaara's eyes widened and he got all the answers he needed. Temari seeing this couldn't stand it and rushed in and embraced the blonde with her arms around his neck bringing his face in her neck and held him tightly as he hugged her back. She held him tightly trying to take all his pain away and ran her finger through his golden locks.

"Shh Naruto it's alright, what's done is done forget about, it's all in the past. I promised you everything will be fine right?" she whispered and he nodded in her neck as she broke off after a few minutes as he calmed down and Gaara stood there watching the interaction in disbelief. Sure Temari respected him but she never showed this soft side of her to anyone not even to Kankuro and him. She would just scold them a bit and show them that she cared but that was it. And the many guys who still pursued her as her fan boys or any guys for that matter wouldn't even get a second glance out of her. Gaara though seeing the state his brother was in didn't dwell on it for too long. As they broke off and stood close together with Temari holding and squeezing his hand for a bit to reassure him and he smiled gratefully at her as they turned their gazes towards Gaara who smiled a little sad smile at the blonde.

"I'm sorry Naruto Uzumaki I didn't know any of what transpired with you or I would have taken steps to bring you in or help you in any way I could. Forgive me." He said and Naruto nodded slowly giving him a small smile.

"It's alright it isn't your fault Gaara." He said and Gaara nodded as he continued.

"Now then Naruto Uzumaki, I Gaara no Sabaku, Godaime Kazekage of Sunagakure no sato hereby offer you to be a part of the Suna shinobi forces. Do you accept?" He said authoritatively and Naruto's eyes widened and his hands trembled and he glanced at Temari who squeezed his hand and smiled and nodded. His eyes watered at both of their acceptance and he gave a shaky nod.

"H-Hai I would love to. Arigato." He said in a shaky voice and Gaara too smiled and nodded as he went back to his desk and sat down on his chair as he took out a Suna headband from the drawer and walked back up to the blonde holding the headband in front him. Naruto teared up and put his heavily shaking hands in front of him and took a hold of the headband with his free hand he ran a thumb across the shiny metal plate as a tear dropped on it and Temari took it gently from his hand and he didn't resist. She smiled at him and fastened his headband on his right bicep and hugged him.

"It looks great on you Naruto. Congratulations." She whispered and he nodded.

"Arigato." He whispered and she too smiled and nodded. Gaara decided to let him know about the rest of the things.

"Naruto since you are new to the village and don't have a place to stay, you will be staying with me and my family at the Sabaku estate. I will talk to the council tomorrow about your rank and status in the village but I assure you, you will be given a respectable rank and will be an honorary Suna shinobi treated equally as any other in the village." He said and Naruto nodded. Gaara knew the council won't mind a shinobi with the potential Naruto held get out of their hands when they needed the strength to recover.

"Alright Naruto will I be correct in presuming that you haven't trained at all in the past six months?" he asked and Naruto smiled a small smile and answered him.

"No I have been learning a bit about seals and since they are not flashy or anything it was perfect to spend the time I was alone, but other than that I haven't used my chakra or had any form of training. I don't have the edge that I had a few months ago, I would request if I could be placed on the reserve list for a little time." He said in his small voice and Gaara nodded.

"I'll take it up with the council tomorrow but don't worry, even if you are on the active list I'll have you on simple missions until you are back to the strength that you find acceptable. I will take care of your monetary needs until you are fine to fend for yourself." He said and Naruto nodded gratefully. He didn't want to go on a mission and endanger anyone because he wasn't ready. Temari took this time to say what had been on her mind ever since she left the village.

"Gaara I would like my mission pay now if you don't mind? I want the money, there's something I need to do and I need some money or I'll have to go back to the estate to get some." She said and he nodded but was confused as to what was so urgent but decided not to question or pry into her business. He took out the mission scroll and put a stamp on it as he handed it to Temari and she took it.

"There's the mission scroll you were assigned. I have stamped and signed it, give it to Matsuri on the way outside and she'll hand you the money." He said in his stoic voice and she nodded and took Naruto's hand pulling him outside with her. He was confused where they were going but just went along with her.

As they stepped outside Temari walked over to Matsuri's desk and handed her the scroll as she looked over it and took out the required money.

"Here you go Temari-sama." She said and Temari took it with a smile as she walked out pulling Naruto in tow who just followed her. As they walked through the streets quite a few of the people turned their heads to see Temari walking with a boy hand in hand. Naruto saw the looks and knew they were wondering what a girl like her was doing with someone like him.

"Umm Temari I don't think we should be holding hands, people are staring and it wouldn't look good for you to be seen holding hands with someone like me." He said in a quiet voice so that only Temari heard him as she stopped and looked at him with a blank face.

"I couldn't care less what those idiot gossipers think and I would be with you over any of them any day of the year." She said her hands on her hips and he nodded with a small smile as she took his hand and they started walking towards their destination. Temari didn't want to let go of his hand, it was big, rough and strong in her opinion which wrapped her hand up completely and his hold was still so gentle that she felt safe. Ever since her mother no one had held her hand when walking and she liked the warmth that she felt holding his hand though she won't admit it out loud.

They walked through the shopping district and then came up to the busier parts of the village as they stopped in front of a shinobi equipment's store. Temari ushered Naruto in and he nodded and opened the door and went in first with Temari following in close behind. As he entered his gaze wandered around the store as it had been a while since he had seen a shinobi store and he was transfixed by it. He walked over to the wall that held several weapons and glanced at the swords section as he walked over to the custom made chakra metal kunai and his hand shot forward to touch it but he pulled it back, it looked very expensive and he didn't want to offend the store owners. A man came up to him as he had seen him looking over the weapons and he had seen the way he looked at the kunai and waked up to him. His clothes were in pretty rough condition so he guessed he was here to look over since he wouldn't be able to afford the pricing of his store since this was the best shinobi store in Suna.

"Can I help you young man? I'm afraid I don't think you'll be able to buy anything here. I don't mean to sound rude but my store is quite expensive." He said politely and Naruto nodded and smiled at the man who was surprised that he didn't mind what he said.

"I know sir; I don't have the money anyways I was just looking at these I'm sorry." He said and the man nodded and gave him a smile at his politeness. He liked the kid but was intrigued by his eyes that showed him he had been through a lot. Temari came up after handing her fan at the counter for maintenance and saw Naruto talking to the store owner and caught the last part of the conversation.

"Hideki he's with me." She said and the man turned to her surprised and smiled brightly.

"Ah Temari-sama what can I help you with today?" he asked and she smiled and pointed to Naruto.

"As you can see Naruto here is in need of some clothes and equipment and he has just joined the village as a shinobi. So I want some clothes and other equipment for him put on my account alright "She said and the man turned to Naruto surprised as his gaze turned to the headband on his bicep when he looked closely and he apologized to him as Naruto waved it off.

"Umm Temari this place is quite expensive; we should go to somewhere more cheap you know. You don't have to spend so much on me." He said softly out of the earshot of Temari and Temari just put her fingers on his lips quieting him down and smiled at him.

"Hush, don't worry about it now let's go and get you something to look as good as me, alright?" she asked playfully and pulled him in the clothing section as Naruto saw that there were only bright colours in there and that the darker colours were quite rare. He guessed it was because of the climate there. He saw Temari going through clothes with a female attendant with a glint in her eyes and smiled a bit seeing her so happy. He decided to let her choose his clothing since he was well aware that his choices weren't the best and this was the first time he had been in a shinobi store and treated so nicely and not being ripped off. Temari saw him standing off in the side looking at her and grew confused as she walked up to him confused.

"What's the matter Naruto why aren't you looking through the clothes, don't you like this store?" she asked and he just shook his head.

"No I don't have a good choice with clothing so I guess I'll go with your choice of clothing for now if that's alright." He asked and she smiled brightly and nodded.

"You just leave it all to me and I'll be back with the best clothes for you alright?" she said and he nodded as she hurried back with the attendant and was going through piles of clothing. He never knew Temari loved to shop so much, but he guessed it must be something all girls love. Finally, after an hour of searching Temari returned with some clothing and pushed him in the changing room and he changed into what she had given him. As he came out Temari's breath was caught in her throat as the attendant too was blushing like a tomato and staring at him.

Naruto came out wearing a simple white t-shirt with a cut sleeves blue mesh underneath for protection that were showing his ripping muscles and sky blue baggy pants with lots of pockets for utilities. He was wearing the same sky blue coloured shinobi sandals and sky blue fingerless gloves with metal back plates. She had chosen the colour that was closest to his eyes to complement them and he grew nervous with their staring and fiddled around. The colours and the light airy materials would help him in the heat of the desert she mused.

"Umm do you like it?" he asked nervously as both girls broke out of their stupors and Temari smiled and nodded and had a faint pink blush on her face and the attendant too nodded and stuttered out a yes. Who knew Naruto could look so nice with some nice clothes without orange she thought as she picked up a new beige kunai holster and a white kunai pouch and some medical bandages to tie it up and to wrap it on his legs and forearms to protect them from the sun. She picked up two sets of standard kunai and shurikens and brought it up to the counter. The shop owner came and noted everything down and nodded saying he would send the four separate sets of clothing to his home and Temari said to deliver it to the Sabaku estate. The man was shocked but nodded and asked for any customizations and Naruto asked for a pen and paper. The man nodded and handed it to him as Naruto drew the Uzumaki spiral and the Namikaze symbol of a lightning bolt in a circle and asked for them to be stitched on the sleeves and the man nodded as he asked for his shirt and got it done in fifteen minutes handing it to him and said he would have it done to the rest too. Naruto thanked the man and Temari and both smiled.

* * *

 _ **Author's notes : There is the next chapter and I'll say that this story will progress a bit slowly in the start so don't worry about it. It isn't all action and stuff and is different from my other writes too. It will have it's share of action that is for sure but it does have a soft side to it too. So far the reviews have been encouraging me to write it and I have gotten some PM too so I'll write it for now. So please if you like it keep reading and reviewing and I'll continue to write it. Ja Ne ;)**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Naruto : Desert Flower**

* * *

 **Sunagakure no sato**

* * *

Temari was pulling Naruto through the streets and many more of the heads of the villagers were turning as they were surprised to see the Princess of Suna pulling a blonde shinobi whom none of them recognized but saw the Suna headband and were confused. Many girls were looking at Naruto and blushing and then whispering amongst themselves while the guys were looking on in jealousy. Naruto was nervous since it did remind him of the stares back in Konoha but he reminded himself that this wasn't his birth village now. They walked towards the clan grounds of the village and then to a really large estate. Temari took Naruto in the house as he marvelled at the great house and was amazed that it was only for three people.

"Alright Naruto this is my house and now yours for the time being. Let me show you around alright." She said and he nodded following her around as she showed him a large living room and then took him into the large dining room that was attached to the kitchen. She then took him to the first floor and as they climbed up the stairs they came to a hallway as Naruto saw many rooms down the hall and Temari spoke up pulling him into a room with a king sized bed, a big closet, a dressing table with a huge shelf besides it and an attached bathroom. He was transfixed that he was going to live here, it was as big as his old apartment in the leaf he mused.

"And Naruto this is your room, the room besides you is Kankuro's and the one in front of his is Gaara's while mine is at the end of the hallway to the left." She chirped happily and he nodded with a small smile as he and Temari started walking down towards the living room as Naruto sat down on the armchair while Temari plopped down face first on the cushion over the couch.

"Man I wish we could have something to eat just now. The restaurant takes two hours to deliver and I hate to eat there with all the people staring at me all the time." She murmured in the pillow as Naruto smiled a little.

"Then maybe I could make you something?" he asked softly and she looked at him surprised with a raised eyebrow.

"You could cook?" she asked in a surprised voice and he nodded getting up and walked into the kitchen as Temari sat on the stool besides the counter as Naruto started to pull out a pan, knife and the ingredients that were available. She watched surprised as he washed his hands and then the vegetables and then started cutting them like a professional. He tossed the piece of stake that he found in the fridge into the frying pan as he started to make a sauce to go over it in the other. As soon as the aroma began to spread Temari's stomach growled and Naruto turned to her and smiled as she blushed in embarrassment.

"Wow you really know how to cook. I can tell from just the smell. The only one that could cook amongst us is Kankuro and that too is just average." She said as she remembered the few times he cooked and it didn't leave a good taste to remember ever so she always preferred to order food home.

"Here you go." He said keeping the plate in front of her as he sat in front of her pulling a stool himself and sat down in front of her. Temari looked at her plate and the smell was just amazing as she took a fork and cut a piece as she put it in her mouth and her eyes shot open as her mouth exploded with flavours. She immediately dug in for some more smiling as Naruto saw her and smiled a bit that she liked it and ate slowly himself. Ayame had taught him how to cook though he always ate at the stand as it gave him company and he didn't like always eating alone. As Temari finished and cleaned her plate she sighed in relief as she turned to Naruto with a smile.

"You're a great cook Naruto. This beats the hell out of that restaurants food any day." She said happily and he smiled as he picked up the plates and went to wash them as Temari leaned against the counter besides him.

"I'm glad you like it. I can make you dinner every night if you'd like it, it's the least I could do." He said and she beamed. Eating food like that every day was heaven.

"That would be great Naruto, now I don't have to eat Kankuro's bland dishes anymore." She said scrunching up her nose and Naruto laughed a little at her expression and she smiled. His laugh was soft but at least he was coming out a little. Naruto himself felt good, it had been a long time since he had laughed.

"You should laugh and smile more Naruto, it suits you better." She said softly and he smiled a bit.

"Yeah maybe I might have somethings' to be happy about here." He whispered and she smiled and nodded. Both went into their rooms as they changed for the night and went to bed.

* * *

 **Midnight**

* * *

Temari was trying to sleep and was hugging her bear but was missing the warmth of Naruto as she wrapped her legs around the bear hugging it tightly to her chest as she scrunched her eyes but the sleep won't come to her eyes. She was sleeping in just her t-shirt and her white cotton panties; she didn't like to be in much clothes but she was annoyed that she couldn't sleep now.

She turned around a couple of times in her bed but the sleep just won't come. She got up and decided to get some water as she passed by Naruto's room she heard sniffing and she stopped dead in her tracks. She opened the room of his door with a click and went in as she came close to Naruto's bed to see him trembling and crying in his sleep as she sat down beside him and put her hand on his forehead and ran her fingers through his hair as his trembling calmed down a little.

"Shh Naruto it's alright. Sleep." She whispered softly as she laid down beside him when he suddenly wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him. She let out a small 'Eep' and was blushing because of the clothes both were wearing, he was in his boxers and a t-shirt and she too wasn't faring well. But she loved the warmth that he emitted and wrapped her arms around his waist slowly and softly and put her face in the crook oh his neck as she closed her eyes and Naruto calmed down and fell into a deep slumber. She too fell asleep from his slight breathing with a small smile.

* * *

 **Morning**

* * *

Temari woke up from a deep sleep that took all of her stress of the constant missions she had been on away. She felt two arms wrapped around her waist and something hard but still warm on her back and then she felt the face of Naruto buried in the back of her neck and blushed as memories of last night came back and she tried to scoot out of his grip to avoid the embarrassing position Naruto would wake up in but he pulled her closer and buried his face in the back of neck a bit more as her blush intensified. She decided to sleep a bit more and closed her eyes and got comfortable and prepared for the embarrassment to come.

Downstairs an exhausted Gaara and Kankuro came in and sat down on the couch.

"Man that mission was tiring, I hate border security." Whined Kankuro and Gaara nodded. He didn't have the same problem as Kankuro since he didn't sleep only meditated but last night he had to do some official paperwork that to be sent in the morning and he too was exhausted.

"Hey where's Temari? She's usually up and about now." Asked Kankuro and Gaara nodded himself wondering the same thing.

"Yes she must be sleeping in." he said monotonously and Kankuro got up and walked towards the stairs.

"Alright I'll wake her up, make us some breakfast and then sleep." He said and Gaara nodded. He followed him as he too had to get something in his room. Kankuro walked to Temari's room and knocked as he got no answer. He knocked again a couple of times and called her but got no answer. Gaara walked out of his room and saw him standing on her door.

"What's wrong?" he asked stoically and Kankuro turned around.

"Temari isn't answering the door, should we…. You know go in?" he asked nervously and Gaara went in deep thought for a moment. Temari didn't like anyone coming into her room especially in the morning and would chase them to death. But he had his sand and was safe. But Kankuro….

"Yes we should." He said and Kankuro nodded and opened the door as both peeked in to see the room empty and grew confused. Then an idea came to Gaara's mind. Naruto was living here too. He must be in the guest room and know where she was since he was the last one to meet her.

"Kankuro I have an idea." He said and walked towards the guest room with Kankuro in tow who was confused but shrugged and followed as Gaara opened and entered the room and Kankuro behind him and stopped dead in their tracks as they saw Temari but were shocked as they saw her snuggled with Naruto. Kankuro's jaw dropped to the ground and started muttering incoherent words pointing his index finger at the blondes in bed as Gaara's eyes too were wide for a few moments. Temari was sleeping with her back against his chest as he had pulled her closer with his arms wrapped around her waist and his face buried in her flowing blonde hair.

Temari hearing Kankuro's babbling fluttered her eyes open and saw her brothers standing there and expressions of disbelief on their faces and she blushed a faint pink blush with the position she was in. She turned around in his arms and put her hand on his cheek tapping it lightly.

"Naruto wake up." She whispered softly and he snuggled in to her neck. She blushed a deep crimson and was glad her face wasn't visible to her brothers.

"Umm smells nice." He muttered and went back to sleep. Now Kankuro was pale as a sheet as he knew Temari was going to kill him and prayed for the blonde's afterlife to be good. Gaara too was worried for his friend as he knew how Temari reacted to someone who got in with her in the same room let alone the same bed, even if by accident. He had to save Kankuro the last time he tried to wake her up and was beaten to near death as Temari assumed he was a pervert without even giving him a chance to explain and had gotten the beating of his life.

"Naruto wake up please." She whispered softly again as Naruto's eyes fluttered open and he gazed into Temari's beautiful teal green eyes and saw that she was a bit red in the face.

"Temari what are you doing here? And why are you so red? Are you sick?" he asked sleepily and put his forehead against hers to check her temperature and saw that she was a bit hot. All the blood in Temari's body rushed to her face as she gazed into his cerulean orbs that were looking at her with concern.

"Temari you should stay in bed today; I'll make you something to eat. You look a bit sick." He said in concern and Temari saw his innocence and all doubts in her mind vanished about him trying something with her.

"What are you doing here anyways Temari?" he asked and she smiled though still had a faint pink blush on her face.

"I walked past your room last night and you were trembling and crying in sleep from a nightmare. So I rubbed your head to calm you down but you pulled me close in your sleep." She whispered and he nodded.

"I'm sorry." He whispered and she shook her head.

"It's alight you were in your sleep and I came into your room, so it's alright." She whispered and he nodded letting her loose as both sat up.

"I'll go make some breakfast, you get fresh alright." He said and she nodded as he stood up and saw Gaara and Kankuro standing there with stupefied looks on their faces. He smiled a bit as he walked past them.

"Morning Gaara, Kankuro." He said walking past but got no answer and thought they were a bit sleepy and walked down the stairs. Temari saw their faces and after a few moments Gaara broke out of his stupor.

"I approve." He said monotonously pulling Kankuro out by the collar of his cat suit as Temari's blush returned full force at the insinuation as Gaara closed the door and she stood up and went to her room to get some shorts as she too headed down after getting her face washed. She walked down the stairs as again a wonderful aroma hit her nose and she walked into the kitchen and saw Gaara who was staring at Naruto while Kankuro was drooling from the smell and she looked at him in disgust.

"Close your mouth Kankuro I will be getting the first plate anyways." She said as Kankuro glared at her.

"And who said that?" he retorted and Temari smiled a little too sweetly at him.

"I did. You have a problem with that?" she asked sweetly and he gulped and shook his head as she sat down with a smile. It was great to not eat Kankuro's disgusting Miso soup and Rice in the morning she thought as Naruto kept two plates with fried eggs, caramelized bacon, toasts and milk as she snatched one plate while Kankuro went for the other but sand took it before he could get his hands on it.

"Hey that's not fair !" he yelled indignantly pointing a finger at Gaara who ignored his rant and took a bite as he spoke.

"We are shinobi. Nothing we do is fair." He said stoically while Kankuro fumed. He turned around feeling a tap on his shoulder as he saw Naruto handing him a plate and he took it with a smile. Temari dug into her plate and her tongue was in heaven. It had been a last great couple of meals she had to admit and he was a damn good cook.

"Naruto you are a great cook, and this is a thousand times better than that stuff Kankuro cooks and calls food." She said eating happily as Naruto sat in front of her with a smile and ate.

"Indeed." Said Gaara and kept eating.

"Hey !" yelled Kankuro as Temari giggled at their antics and saw Naruto eating his food slowly not interested in their conversation and smiled sadly as she too concentrated on eating. Kankuro had been told about Naruto by Gaara when he went to report his mission so he didn't want to probe the troubled blonde too much and decided to stay quiet. Naruto finished his breakfast as the same time as Temari as he took her plate, she tried to protest but he took it anyways and went to the sink to clean them up. Temari followed him to the kitchen as Gaara and Kankuro were left alone.

"She's different around him." Suddenly Kankuro said and Gaara nodded.

"She is. And I approve if they get close. Naruto is better than any of the people in the village after Temari and I trust him with her and I know Temari won't do anything to break his heart or betray him. She is too strong willed for that, they are good with each other and I would like it if they got together." he said and Kankuro was surprised. Gaara was protective of Temari and had scared many guys who tried to approach her due to her status away and if he approved of Naruto then that was good since he himself trusted the blonde. And from what he saw in the morning there was a chance they could get together he mused. He wanted to tease Temari about it but knew better than to aggravate her and be at the receiving end of her battle fan.

In the kitchen Naruto was going through the dishes that were used for cooking and the ones he and Temari used as Temari was drying them off and she decided to ask him something to start up a conversation.

"So Naruto what have you planned for the day?" she asked curiously and he thought for a moment and replied.

"I'll start my training today. Get my body up to speed and work on my taijutsu. Then meet up with Gaara in the afternoon for my registration and getting whatever rank I'm given." He said and she nodded happy that he was going to get back in shape. She knew the kind of a ninja he could be and how he lashed back to protect someone when backed up into a corner as she had witnessed it first hand and was glad he was a Suna shinobi now.

"If you want any help or a sparring partner I'll help you alright." She said and he nodded gratefully.

"Thank you but for now I'll have to train myself back to the way I was and then surpass the strength I had. I had many weaknesses in the past that I have had a lot of time alone to think about from the experiences of my previous battles. I'll work up those skills too and not rely on the Kyuubi's chakra any longer." He said softly but with a bit of determination in his voice and Temari smiled at seeing the spark reignite within him.

"Alright tell me when you are ready. I'm looking forward to that spar." She said grinning and he smiled a bit and nodded as he finished and washed his hands as he went to his room to get ready. He showered and changed into the clothes that Temari bought for him yesterday and unsealed the wooden box his parents had left him and picked up the lid as he gazed at the scrolls in it. He had just read some of the books that were sealed in a scroll by his mother from the Uzumaki clan but he didn't ever look into all the scrolls his father left him or the scrolls on the Adamantine chains and kenjutsu that his mother left him since he believed his days as a shinobi were over. But now was the time to open them he mused as he picked up the scroll on his father's taijutsu style the Hummingbird Style used with the speed and agility with quick blows that all the Namikaze clan members were naturally entwined to. He always wondered how he was so quick that he could outrun the Konoha ANBU after his pranks when the old man sent them to catch him but he used to run them to the ground for hours before the old man himself or Iruka-sensei would catch him. His heart ached as he thought of his deceased grandfather and how much he fought for him against the council for him. The only one to care when he was a child if he lived or not and he knew that the monthly stipend that he got after he was kicked out from the orphanage was from his personal accounts since the council would never approve a monthly stipend for him.

He walked into a training field at the estate and found a stump nearby to practice his katas on as he read the exercises and stretches written on the scroll and started going through them. He read through the basic Katas and started going through them for a couple of hours when he was finally convinced he had done enough exercises till noon and went through the katas until lunchtime.

* * *

 **Kazekage Tower**

 **Council Chambers**

* * *

The council structure of Suna was very different from that of the council that Konoha had. Where Konoha had a shinobi council, a civilian council and an advisory of the elder council of the Hokage, Suna used a council comprised of ten people all high ranking shinobis of the village or war veterans with plenty of experience and wisdom. Gaara came in through the door as the ANBU guarding him closed the door and vanished into the walls. Gaara sat at his seat on the round table as everyone started wondering why he had called an urgent meeting. Gaara seeing their confusion decided to explain.

"As all of you must be wondering why I have called you here, I'll get straight to the point." He said and everyone nodded, they knew he liked to talk direct to the point and they respected that aspect of his not beating around the wish.

"You all must be aware who Naruto Uzumaki is I presume?" he asked and they all nodded knowing the guy who defeated Gaara in the sand-sound invasion on the leaf and their most promising genin as their reports had said after the invasion.

"Naruto Uzumaki was banished from Konoha six months ago and the council there ordered all of its allies that if he stepped foot in their territory he was bound for execution." He said as the council became deathly silent until Baki spoke up.

"Why would they do that? He was one of their promising and loyal genin if what we saw in the chunin exams was any indication. What did he do?" he asked and Gaara nodded agreeing with his assessment.

"He captured Sasuke Uchiha when he turned on the village to leave for Orochimaru but the battle caused the Uchiha many injuries for which the council decided to take out its hate on him being the jinchuriki of the nine tails by banishing him. All of his friends and teachers turned on him reading the false report of the Uchiha and the presence of the bijuu's chakra only solidified their false assumptions." He spoke calmly and whispers broke out.

"Those fools, we should look for the boy he could become a shinobi of the sand village and the whole village respects him already and he even spared you Kazekage-sama during the invasion and you respect him as a brother as I've heard." Another councilman said and Gaara smirked, looks like it won't be as hard as he had presumed.

"He could be a strong shinobi for our village and his loyalty is unquestioned according to reports and we have no such orders from the leaf village and neither have we signed any strong mutual treaty with the village yet, due to their unreasonable demands." Chiyo said and Gaara nodded and smiled as all the councilman were curious why he was smiling.

"There is no need for us to find him." He said crossing his fingers in front of his mouth and closing his eyes as the whole council protested and shouted but he cut them off.

"Because he is already in the village." He said as the whole room turned deathly silent and curious looks were sent at the Kazekage.

"Temari found him in a small village near the sand village and convinced him to come here. I've already assigned him in the roster and given him his headband and the only thing left to do is to assign him a suitable rank for which I am here for your recommendations." He said stoically and they all murmured amongst themselves before Ebizo spoke up.

"After his performance in the exams and in the invasion I say chunin for now is a suitable rank if I may suggest Kazekage-sama." He said and the whole council agreed and Gaara too nodded with a smile.

"Then Naruto Uzumaki is hereby granted the rank of chunin." He said and they all nodded with a smile.

"I have decided to put him on the reserved list for the time being as was his request to me." He said and they were confused and waited to hear his reasons.

"He hasn't used chakra and hasn't trained in the past six months to hide himself completely from the enemies that would have chased after him and has lost his edge. He has requested for an indefinite training time until he finds himself back to his strength for training. And I agree with him, does the council agree?" he asked and they all nodded, it made sense and he would only get stronger if he trained nicely.

"Then the council is dismissed." He said and they all left with smiles on their faces at the new addition in their shinobi forces. Gaara was glad they saw reason and him being a jinchuriki that had a completely stable seal only warranted the council to trust and respect him more. And add to that the fact that he was completely free he was waiting to be taken in. he was only sad that he didn't find him earlier.

* * *

 **Kazekage Tower**

 **Kazekage Office**

* * *

Gaara was going through the documents and mission scrolls when a knock was heard and he knew who it was, he had been waiting for his friend.

"Come in." he said and in walked the mop of sun kissed blonde hair and his eyes went wide. He had to say that Temari wasn't wrong when she said he looked great in his shinobi outfit, he too had to admit he looked like a serious shinobi in those clothes and the scratches he had on his skin and the little dust on his clothes was clear indication that he had been training hard and his posture was now a bit straighter than yesterday he noticed and motioned for him to take a seat knowing he would be tired a bit.

"Naruto the council has made its decision and has agreed to accept you as a shinobi of the sand village by unanimous voting in your favour and come to a decision on your rank. After seeing your performance at the exams and in the invasion you are hereby promoted to the rank of chunin." He said handing him a light beige coloured vest that he took with a small smile and his eyes watered. He was nervous that the council might not accept him but now all his doubts had been blown away.

He wiped his eyes and thanked him and Gaara nodded taking out a form.

"Naruto here is your registration form; you must know what all you need to fill. Name, clan status, rank, parents and a signature to pledge your allegiance to Sunagakure no sato. There's no need for a photograph, I have one already that was taken when you were training so you won't have to waste time with it." He said and he nodded taking it and started filling out all the details _truthfully._ He handed it back to Gaara whose his eyes widened as he dropped the paper from shock and pulled out an old Bingo book and opened up too pages and looked at him, then back at the book and then again at him and sighed

"I can't believe no one your village has noticed it until now in all these years. I myself feel stupid for not noticing it. Do you wish to tell the village?" he asked and Naruto shook his head with a small smile glad he didn't doubt his claim.

"No I'm not ready to defend myself if someone comes after me. Maybe when I'm a bit stronger, I don't care for fame either. I just want to take up my father's name." he said and Gaara smiled sadly.

"You could have hidden it from me until you were ready. Why did you tell me then?" he asked and Naruto smiled a small smile.

"You are my Kage now. I am loyal to the village but first and the foremost to you, I won't lie to you." He said and Gaara smiled. His loyalty to the village was unquestionable and this was the proof.

"Very well, this registration form will be 'misplaced' for the time being until you are ready to reveal it. I am glad you trust me with this and one more thing your request to be put on the reserved roster has been approved. You'll be reinstated when I feel you're ready or you request yourself. Here is your monthly stipend, you'll get it from me personally until you are back on missions." He said calmly handing him the envelope and Naruto took it gratefully. Gaara didn't want to tell him it was from him and not from the village as he didn't want him to waste his time on D-ranks for money and he had plenty from the Sabaku fortune.

"Arigato Gaara." He said and Gaara nodded as he turned to leave and Gaara spoke up.

"Naruto what do you think of Temari?" he asked as Naruto stopped holding the knob to the door as he turned his head to show his one visible eye deadly serious. He didn't understand why he asked that but he would answer him nonetheless.

"My life belongs to her, I would have died had she not pulled me out of my dark time. She is probably the only one I keep above this village and _you._ " He said and Gaara nodded as he opened the door and left. A smirk found its way on Gaara's lips as he started going through the documents again.

* * *

 **Night Time**

* * *

Naruto was sitting on the roof of the Sabaku estate gazing at the stars and the moon as had become his habit over the last six months of sleeping alone in the alleys on the streets. He felt comfort in the silence and the twinkling of stars and the cool breeze blowing against his face as he sensed someone behind him but knew who it was as a small smile graced his lips.

"Hey." Temari softly said sitting beside him in in her usual white battle kimono with a fishnet wrapping on her right thigh and left calf and her headband on her neck as she brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.

"Hey." He said softly and both sat in comfortable silence gazing at the sky as Temari spoke up.

"I heard you were made chunin, congratulations." She whispered and he nodded gratefully with a small smile.

"Arigato I owe you a lot Temari. I owe you my life." He whispered staring at the sky and a small smile graced her features as Naruto turned his head towards her his eyes glazed with tears and she gasped as he continued.

"I finally belong somewhere. People don't hate me here, they don't throw me out of shops, they don't wish death on me but I'm a part of the village here. Today I felt like I had someplace to belong and maybe a chance for acceptance, for the first time in my life I was happy." He said through sobs breaking down a bit as Temari brought him close to her and hugged him. She was happy that he had some of his shine return to his eyes, how much he craved for just being accepted she thought cursing the leaf village inwardly and running her fingers through his golden locks.

"Shh everyone will respect you here and I have always accepted you Naruto and I always will." She whispered and he nodded as she wiped away her tears as the smell of something cooking reached their noses and Temari scrunched up her face in disgust.

"That idiot Kankuro is making something again, he'll eat it alone I swear I'll die before I have another bowl of his disgusting Miso soup again." She said and Naruto laughed as she leaned her head on his shoulder and scooted closer to avoid the breeze as Naruto wrapped an arm around her waist pulling her closer to him as a rosy pink blush adorned her cheeks and she smiled and melted in him taking in his warmth that blocked the cold breeze.

"Don't worry I'll make you something after Kankuro and Gaara are done finishing their dinner alright." He said softly and she smiled and nodded on his shoulder.

"Thank you I love it when you cook you know." she whispered and he put his head on hers both gazing at the stars smiling.

"I know." He whispered back.

Both of them entered an hour after Gaara and Kankuro had finished with their dinner and Naruto cooked her up some curry and rice and to her surprise a caramel pudding that she devoured much to his amusement and he gave her his portion too seeing her happy face as she ate it and sighed contently. Naruto started going back to his room when he saw Temari stop behind him fidgeting and he was confused as she was looking down fiddling with her kimono. He put a hand on her cheek and brought her face up to meet his eyes as he looked at her concerned what was wrong.

"What's wrong Temari?" he asked and she looked in his eyes looking at her in concern and had a faint blush on her face as she decided to make her embarrassing request.

"I kinda w-wanted to ask you if we could share the same bed. I like it when someone holds me, I haven't had anyone since my mother and have always slept alone. So I was thinking if you wouldn't mind…" she stopped as Naruto chuckled softly and she looked at him hurt and averted her eyes thinking he was making fun of her as a tear rolled down her eye. She had told him her problem and showed him her vulnerable side and now she felt stupid.

"Temari look at me." He whispered softly and she didn't meet his eyes as he put his other hand on her cheek forcing her to look at him as he gave her a small smile.

"You didn't even have to ask." He said softly and her eyes widened as she hugged him tightly and he hugged her back chuckling softly as she punched his chest muttering baka and smiled burying her face in his chest.

"Go on and get changed into something comfortable alright." He whispered and she nodded and went to her room to get changed into her t-shirt and some skin tight shorts that she wore in the nights. Last night had been embarrassing enough to sleep with him in her panties and she was at least going to wear something comfortable and respectable tonight as she opened the door and blushed seeing him in his boxers and t-shirts.

"Umm Naruto are you going to wear that to sleep?" she asked and he looked at himself confused.

"Is something wrong with it?" he asked innocently honestly not understanding what the problem was.

"N-no it's nothing." She said blushing a faint pink blush and he shrugged as both got into the bed and she laid her head on his chest wrapping her arms around his wait as he pulled her closer and took in the scent of her hair. She smelled like desert lilies he mused and both cuddled up as Temari sighed in satisfaction. Naruto was glad too since the last two nights he had slept with her there were no nightmares to haunt him and he had slept peacefully as both of their eyes drooped heavily and Temari yawned cutely.

"Good Night Naruto." She whispered softly.

"Good Night Temari." He whispered back and both fell into a deep slumber the peaceful silence of the night and the cool breeze coming through the window claiming them as both slept enjoying each other's warmth.

* * *

 _ **Author's Notes : There is the next chapter. I'm surprised that most of the readers didn't have a problem with the slow pace of the story and some even encouraged it as opposed to the other stories where I was forced to move up the plot line. Naruto has become a chunin to the village and has told Gaara of his heritage. Naruto will gain new summons and two affinities though I am still confused which one but I have one pair of dual affinities in mind that are quite rarely used in the fanfics I've read and especially rare in the fics concerning Naruto in Suna. Though I will finally decide after reading some comments. Naruto has started his training and has opened up his parents scrolls finally starting his training and has been given a training leave. Let's see what the future chapters have in store. Keep reading and keep the reviews and comments coming and I'll keep the chapters coming with the positive response. Ja Ne ;)**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Naruto : Desert Flower**

* * *

 **Sunagakure no sato**

* * *

 **Next Morning**

* * *

Temari woke up to see the peacefully sleeping face of the whiskered blonde on her side cuddled up to her and smiled as she buried her face in the crook of his neck and he held her tightly closer to him and she felt so safe in his arms. Kankuro was gone for a patrolling mission early this morning and Gaara always left early so she could sleep in as she closed her eyes and snuggled into him. She was suddenly woken up by a knock to the door of the estate as she growled and got out of bed and Naruto woke up rubbing his eyes and yawning. She got to the main door and opened it up in an annoyed manner when she saw Lady Chiyo standing there.

"Lady Chiyo this is a surprise, is there something wrong?" she asked politely and Lady Chiyo smiled waving her off.

"No no Temari-hime I just wanted to meet this new chunin that I heard about yesterday at the council. Naruto Uzumaki was his name if I remember right." She said and Temari looked at her surprised. She had thought of many reasons for her visit but this surely wasn't one on her list she thought.

"What do you want with Naruto Lady Chiyo?" she asked politely that held a cautious tone to it and Lady Chiyo chuckled slightly confusing her.

"Can't we go in and talk about it, my old legs get tired very easily now you know." She said playfully while Temari blushed in embarrassment.

"Of course; where are my manners please come in." she said politely ushering her in and picked up her headband from the drawer in the table at living room and tied up her hair in a high pony tail as she offered Chiyo a seat who sat there with a smile.

"I'll go and get Naruto." She said and Chiyo nodded and smiled sitting there as she went upstairs to go get Naruto. She entered the room to see Naruto come out wiping his face with a towel and smiled at her.

"Who was it Temari?" he asked softly and she gave him a smile.

"It's Lady Chiyo, she is one of the two honourable elders of the village and is highly respected. She wants to meet you." She said and Naruto tilted his head to the side in confusion.

"Me; what for?" he asked in a confused voice and she shrugged.

"Lady Chiyo is a strange woman, she will only talk to you about what she wants. Let's go." She said pulling her with him by the hand and Naruto just followed her and sat on the armchair to see a pretty old lady looking at him surprised at first and then with fondness and he grew even more confused.

"Umm I'm sorry Lady Chiyo but I don't really know you so may I ask what you wished to see me for?" he asked and she smiled at him picking up a biscuit on the table as she spoke.

"Straight to the point and not wasting any time just like an Uzumaki." She said cryptically and Naruto grew uncomfortable hearing this. Temari saw his uneasiness and herself grew confused by what she said. Naruto got up to leave the room and calm himself down.

"I'll go make us some tea. I'll be right ba…" he said but was cut off as Chiyo spoke up cutting him off.

"I had my suspicions but you really are his son, the same hair, the same eyes and her face. Now I have cleared all my doubts." She said as Naruto stopped dead in his tracks and Temari grew scared as she saw a dangerous glint in his eyes.

"I don't understand what you mean." He said in an all too calm tone but Temari sensed the low warning tone in it and glanced at Chiyo whose smile was getting wider by the minute.

"Please you know absolutely what I mean Naruto-kun; don't play dumb with me." She said happily as Naruto calmed himself down and went through hand seals and put his palm on the ground as seals covered the room and then disappeared.

"Privacy seals and of such high level with only hand seals; you are a true Uzumaki indeed." She said happily as Naruto turned his full gaze at her and Temari grew uncomfortable at the situation that was unfolding.

"Who told you?" he said in a tone that meant business and Temari turned to Chiyo who had her usual smile on her face and motioned for Naruto to sit down and he did so hesitantly beside Temari who was looking at him with worried eyes.

"Naruto what's going on?" she asked in a soft and worried tone and he sighed and sat down beside her wrapping an arm around her shoulder bringing her close as she leaned in and put her head on his shoulder and he sighed knowing he had to tell her now though he wanted to wait a few days to tell her.

"Is it right to tell her Naruto-kun?" Chiyo asked and Naruto glanced sharply at her and she flinched back.

"Do not wish to tell me who I could and could not trust. It is my secret to tell and I do not mean any disrespect but it is my decision." He said calmly and she nodded with a smile.

"Temari she's talking about my parents. She knew them." He said and she turned to him with curious eyes.

"You never told me about them after that night I asked about that letter." She said and he nodded with a smile.

"But how does she know them and who are they?" she asked and he turned a glance to the smiling Chiyo.

"That I wish to know as well." He said and her smile dropped as she spoke up.

"I met them during the ending of the third great shinobi war. They were great people, the only ones I respected from the leaf after the events of the Second great shinobi war. Your mother was a great person Naruto-kun and a good friend of mine. She had the fiery red Uzumaki hair and the temper to go with it that only your father could handle. Your father though I didn't know him closely was one of the most honourable people I met and I respected him a lot. Both were the last of their clans and when I heard the name Uzumaki and that you were in the village I had to meet their son. Not many remember their clans since they were almost extinct after the Second Great Shinobi War." she said fondly and Naruto smiled as Temari put a hand on his cheek turning his face towards her.

"Naruto who were they?" she asked softly and Naruto put a hand over hers and sighed.

"Their names were Kushina Uzumaki the princess of the Uzumaki clan and the heiress to Uzushiogakure. My father he wa-s.." he choked a bit as she rubbed his cheek and looked at him warmly.

"Who was he Naruto?" she asked and a tear dropped from his eye.

"Minato Namikaze." He whispered and she thought for a bit. She had heard that name before but where? Then realization came across her face and her eyes widened.

"The Yellow Flash; The Yondaime Hokage Minato Namikaze?" she asked in disbelief and he nodded

" Then he…he" she said solemnly and he nodded as tears streamed down his eyes and she hugged him bringing his to her chest.

"Oh I'm so sorry Naruto." She whispered running her fingers through his hair as he sobbed in chest and she put her chin on his head cooing him.

"I'm sorry Naruto-kun I didn't want to bring back bad memories; I just came to see her son." Chiyo said in an apologetic voice and he shook his head wiping his eyes.

"Don't be I'm glad that I met someone who knew them personally, if you don't mind can you tell me something about them?" he asked hopefully and she nodded with a smile.

"Of course Naruto-kun today I have a council meeting unfortunately but hopefully tomorrow you can come to my house? Temari-hime knows where it is." She said and he nodded gratefully.

"That would be very nice Lady Chiyo I am really grateful." He said and she nodded and turned to leave and Temari and Naruto walked back to the living room and sat down on the couch in silence as Temari broke it.

"Naruto does Gaara know?" she asked and he nodded and she looked down.

"Then why didn't you tell me Naruto, don't you trust me?" she whispered and he immediately sat by her side pulling her in a hug.

"No Temari don't say that please I trust you more than life itself. I was going to tell you that night but I didn't have the courage to tell you that night I-I w-was scared, frightened, and so lost If it weren't for you I would be dea…" he was silenced as Temari put her fingers on his lips and didn't let him finish.

"Shh don't ever say that Naruto." She whispered and he nodded holding her to his chest.

"When will you reveal it to the village?" she asked and he smiled. He too wanted to take up his father's name soon but the time wasn't right yet.

"I'm not strong enough to protect myself if someone came for me to get revenge on my father and they might use anyone close to me as leverage if they fail. I can't let anyone else be in danger because of me." He whispered and she nodded in his chest.

"I'll keep it a secret until you're ready; trust me." She whispered and he nodded.

"I trust you Mari-Chan; more than anyone in the world." He whispered and she blushed a faint pink blush and looked up.

"What did you call me?" she whispered and he realized what he had called her and looked down not meeting her eyes. He remembered how Sakura used to hit him and curse him when he had called her with an affectionate name and she too hated it he realized.

"I'm sorry don't mind me; I didn't me…" he started nervously babbling not wanting to lose her friendship too but was silenced as Temari put her fingers on his lips and gave him a heart-warming smile.

"Hush I don't mind. In fact, from now on call me that alright." She said softly and his eyes watered. She didn't mind it he thought and she pulled him into a hug.

"Arigato Mari-chan." He whispered and she nodded running her fingers through his hair and had a faint pink blush liking the way he called her so affectionately.

"You never have to thank me Naru-kun." She whispered and he nodded and looked up at the way she had called him and she sensed the origin of his confusion and answered.

"You didn't think only you can call me like that right?" she asked playfully and he smiled shaking his head.

"No Mari-Chan you can call me whatever you like." He said in a small voice and she put a hand over his cheek and rubbed his cheek as he leaned into her touch. He was never close to anyone and no one showed him any physical contact and he liked it he thought.

"Naru-kun you don't have to be scared of talking to me like that. Speak what you want with me alright, I won't get angry I promise." She said softly rubbing his cheek and he nodded. She wanted him to get out of that shell he had receded himself into. He nodded smiling gratefully as he went into the kitchen and both had breakfast and sat in a comfortable silence before Temari spoke up.

"Hey Naruto you know how to play shogi?" she asked suddenly and he looked at her surprised then shook his head.

"No, no one really played with me before but if you explain the rules I might be able to play." He said in a small voice and she nodded and beamed. No one liked to play shogi with her since they thought it was boring and she always won. She got up and walked up into her room and went through her closet finding what she was looking for and came down to the living room with the board and laid it in the middle of the couch as both sat in front of each other.

"Alright Naruto this is a strategy game just like a real battlefield it requires strategy, now I'll explain the pieces and rules alright." She said and he nodded. Kankuro came back from patrolling along with Gaara for breakfast to see Temari and Naruto ready to play shogi.

"Hey Naruto you don't have to play with her it's no fun she always wins." He said and Temari smirked.

"That's because you're too dumb to play a mind game instead of those dolls. And my mind is one of the best strategic minds in the village you idiot." Temari said tauntingly and he fumed at the insult.

"Temari you shouldn't underestimate your opponent." Said Gaara stoically and she looked at him with a smirk.

"Please Gaara no one has ever beaten me in shogi and I just explained the rules to him." She said smugly as Kankuro spoke up.

"Yeah Gaara the kid won't win; I hate to say it but I bet he doesn't win even if he played ten games." Said Kankuro and Gaara's lips twitched upwards.

"I'll take that bet. I bet 500 ryo on Naruto." He said monotonously and Kankuro looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Alight it's your money if you want to lose it so badly, you're on." He said with a smirk as Naruto glanced at him nervously.

"Umm Gaara Temari's right it's my first time playing it and I'm no good at strategies and you can lose a lot of money." He said nervously as Gaara put a hand over his shoulder.

"Uzumaki if there's one thing I know about you is to never count you out. You have a knack for pulling the unexpected." He said and Naruto nodded hesitatingly.

"Alright Mari-Chan let's play." He said softly and she nodded with a smile. Kankuro raised an eyebrow at the affectionate name and saw that she didn't mind it, maybe he should try it too.

"Yeah _Mari-Chan_ win me some money." He said with a perverted chuckle indicating something and Gaara took a step back and the temperature in the room dropped as Temari's bangs shadowed her eyes.

"What did you just call me?" she asked sweetly with a very sweet smile as Kankuro started sweating. A moment later his screams were heard in the village as Temari beat him to an inch of his life with her battle fan and Naruto and Gaara decided to do the intelligent thing and stood back.

"Umm shouldn't we you know help him?" Naruto asked Gaara nervously who looked at him incredulously.

"You want to risk getting that?" he asked in disbelief as Naruto glanced at Kankuro.

"Not there not there…... oh my jewels !" he shouted as both Gaara and Naruto winced and Naruto walked up to Temari and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and put his chin on her shoulder calming her down.

"Mari-Chan that's enough, I think he has had enough. It was just a joke." He said softly and she put down her fan and smiled as her anger died down and turned her eyes to Kankuro was hiding behind Gaara's leg.

"Alright, but if you call me that again or give any insinuation like that chuckle…" she said leaving the threat hanging in the air and he nodded furiously. All of them sat around the board as Temari made the first move as Naruto asked her to and he instantly moved his piece. This went on like this for an hour as she would think furiously for a few moments and Naruto would instantly move his piece. Temari was getting frustrated as Naruto moved his next piece instantly and captured her king.

"That's check and mate Mari-chan." He said softly and she gave out a frustrated cry and Kankuro's jaw dropped to the ground and Gaara smirked.

"Arrgh how did you do that, you have no strategy, you move your pieces instantly without thinking the moves ahead and this is your first time playing it how did you do that? You are so, so, so…..." she said in a frustrated tone as Gaara finished her sentence.

"Unpredictable." He said calmly and she nodded slumping in defeat as she looked at Naruto with curious eyes who was grinning?

"Wow Mari-Chan that was fun and you are good, you almost got me a couple of times. We should do this again sometime." He said in a happy voice and she smiled. Her anger died down seeing him happy and she nodded with a smile. Gaara put his hand in front of Kankuro who grumbled and emptied his wallet in his hand and Gaara counted the money slowly to infuriate him and he fumed.

"Alright I'm going out to train." He said and they nodded as he walked out and went towards the training fields.

* * *

 **Timeskip Two Weeks later**

* * *

Two weeks had passed and Naruto had been training hard to bring his body and taijutsu to a good level. He had played shogi several times with Temari in the night with each time him winning or losing when Temari tricked him to look at her or somewhere else and would change the pieces and both would laugh after a few moments of staring blankly at each other with Naruto tackling and tickling her as she begged for him to stop and both would roll on the bed and fall asleep laughing and in each other's arms. He had visited Lady Chiyo a couple of times and she had told him all about his parents and how they were in life and how much she loved his mother and respected his father though resented Konoha as a whole all that much. She had started giving Temari medical lessons when she went with him and he found out that Lady Chiyo was one of the best medic nins and poison experts in the elemental nations second best only to Tsunade as was seen in the Second great shinobi war where she bested her poisons every time she came up with a new one.

Naruto was going through his father's taijutsu katas and suddenly a gust of wind came towards him as he jumped back and saw Temari standing there one hand on her hip and the other on her fan as she stood there grinning. A blush crept across his face as he saw her new attire. She wore a blue battle kimono with a deep neck cut which was mostly covered by the ANBU Armor over it and a red belt tied on her waist flowing in the air and a dark blue skirt with slits on both sides showing of her toned creamy legs and the usual fishnet she wore on her legs. She wore her now black headband on her neck with black shinobi sandals to match them(Search for the pic of Temari at the end of Part 1 on google or narutopedia). Naruto thought he hadn't seen a kunoichi look this deadly and beautiful before.

"Hey Mari-chan." He said softly and she walked up to him and stood before him. They had sparred a couple of times in taijutsu before in the past weeks and found out that it was her weakness which she was now trying to get fixed by learning her family's style which was a defensive style as her family has always relied on some form of long range offensive style before and it was created to work out their weakness at close combat.

"Let's have a spar alright." She said and he nodded as both took a few steps back as she opened her fan to the first moon and blew it towards him as Naruto jumped sideways and put his hands in a cross hand seal.

" **Ninja Art : Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu"** he yelled and created thirty clones who divided into three battalions and covered her as they were about to charge she opened up the fan to the third moon and channelled chakra to her fan as it hummed and glowed.

" **Wind Style : Wind Scythe Jutsu"** she said opening her fan completely and crouched down swinging her fan at a 270-degree angle taking out all the clones and her eyes widened the real wasn't amongst them. She tried to turn back but an arm wrapped around her waist and held her lose to a strong chest from the back as a kunai was on her neck. Naruto pulled her closer her whole body pressed against his as he whispered.

"Yield Mari-chan." He whispered in her ear sending shivers down her spine and she turned around in his arms and gazed into his cerulean eyes as she tripped him and disarmed him pinning him on the ground as she had a leg on either side of his waist and her face in front of his.

"You lose Naru-kun." She whispered softly in his ear and Naruto gazed into her eyes and whispered breathlessly before he leaned up and captured her lips.

"Hai you win." He said before capturing her pink and soft supple lips as she was wide eyed for a moment before she relaxed and returned the kiss putting her hand behind his neck deepening the kiss. She had a mischievous thought as she licked his bottom lip softly and he gasped as she took advantage of it and pushed her tongue into his mouth exploring it. Naruto was stunned as she did that but after a moment he relaxed and massaged her tongue softly letting her do what she wanted to as she kept exploring his mouth and was grateful that he was just gently massaging her tongue and letting her do what she wanted not pushing her for anything. They broke off after a couple of minutes as Temari was flushed with a scarlet blush on her face and Naruto had his eyes glazed for a moment before he brought her head down putting it in the crook of his neck and holding her against him. Her body pressed tightly against his as he had her wrapped around him. Temari just wrapped her arms around his waist and sighed in content with a smile closing her eyes as she snuggled into him.

Both stayed silent as Naruto took of her bands holding her hair and letting it flow freely as he ran his fingers through her silky blonde hair and took in her scent that he loved. He admitted that he had developed feelings for the kunoichi and this wasn't the petty stupid crush he had back in Konoha; this was something more. He rubbed her back as she snuggled into his neck and he smiled. He liked holding her close to him. It just completed him but it was wrong she didn't deserve someone like him. She was a princess of the village and any guy will be happy to be close to her. She deserved someone better. He had to stop before anything else happened.

"Mari-Chan?" he whispered and felt her breath on his neck as she kissed him a little on his neck.

"Mmhmm." She softly moaned and he ran his fingers through her hair.

"We should stop this." He whispered and her eyes snapped open as she gazed into his eyes with hurt in her eyes as her bottom lip trembled. Her eyes watered as she thought of why he had said this.

"You don't like me? Am I not pretty enough? Or am I too hard headed for you?" she asked in a hurt tone and his eyes widened and he averted his eyes.

"No it isn't you, it's me." He whispered and now she was confused.

"What do you mean?" she asked softly keeping a hand on his cheek forcing him to look at her as she saw a tear roll down his eye.

"You are a princess of the village, you deserve someone better not someone like…" he was cut off as she crashed her lips on his and he melted in her kiss. She gave him the most passionate kiss she could muster as she broke off both breathing hard.

"I really like you Naruto, I haven't felt this way for anyone before. I trust you and when you hold me I feel safe. I don't even let my guard down in front of my brothers but with you it's different. I don't know what it is but I want you to hold me forever. I can't sleep without holding you, and when I'm with you I feel vulnerable but the simplest of those touches you give me to reassure me; I feel like I can do anything. You cook and take care of me like a princess and I like those small things that you take care of for me. You never even look or glance at me in an un-decent way and I love that innocence behind all the pain and sorrow in those deep blue cerulean pools you look at me with. Please Naruto just tell me this do you like me too?" she asked softly rubbing his whiskers as he said nothing for a moment before he flipped her around and crashed his lips on to her answering her with the passionate kiss he wanted so much. He licked her bottom lip gently and she opened her mouth giving him access as she put one hand behind his neck pulling him closer deepening the kiss and the other grabbing his hair as he explored her mouth and she massaged his tongue softly. He loved how soft her tongue was and how she had given her access as he explored her cavern bit by bit and broke off the kiss as she whined a bit at the loss of contact but he kissed her jawline softly and she moaned and breathed hardly. He went down to her neck as she turned her head away giving him more access as she held his head closer and he kissed and licked the soft skin of her neck. He pulled off the ANBU armour and threw it aside and pulled her blue kimono a bit sideways as now she was a bit worried what he wanted to do.

He sensed her tension and started kissing gently and softly on her neck going upwards. He kissed, nipped and licked her neck gently working his way to her ear as he nibbled it softly getting another soft moan from her lips.

"Don't worry." He whispered softly in her ear and just like that all her doubts vanished. He won't do anything to harm her in any way she thought as he kissed her lips softly and pulled away as she tried to deepen it, he kissed her jawline gently moving down and kissed and licked her neck gently and softly and she loved his gentle touches on her sensitive skin and slowly he pulled the blue part of the kimono he went for earlier a bit sideways and got access to her collarbone as he put his lips down on the creamy and soft skin of her sweet spot as he licked and kissed it and her breathing was now becoming so hard, her C-cup breasts heaving up and down heavily; she felt herself getting wet and her panties were feeling drenched as Naruto picked her thigh up touching and softly rubbing the fishnet less thigh softly and gently as he captured her lips and this time both took out their tongues at the same time battling for dominance as Naruto broke it off after a few moments and again gently put kisses on the other side of her neck as she turned her head the other way giving him full access and he pulled her kimono sideways and licked and kissed her collarbone gently and softly; she was breathing erratically now and her moans and gasps becoming faster and louder as they filled the training field and Naruto felt his hand on her inner thigh that he was massaging softly feeling the soft and creamy skin of her inner thigh, was now feeling drenched; she was so close to her orgasm and Naruto gave her the final push as he bit down hard on her neck giving her a hickey as the dam broke from the pleasure and pain as she came hard.

"Naru-kun !" she said loudly and breathlessly moaning his name as her orgasm came and Naruto licked off the bit of blood from her neck kissing it gently easing off her pain as she brought his head up and pecked him with her now swollen pink lips and brought his head to the crook of her neck and closed her eyes running her fingers through his hair as Naruto snuggled into her neck and pecked it pulling the strand of hair aside and closed his eyes as both breathed hard and were now exhausted.

A moment later Temari started giggling like a schoolgirl and Naruto glanced at her curiously seeing the state she was in and her scarlet blush on her cheeks he himself was having trouble fighting of the blush. Her hair was dishevelled and her silky blonde hair now flowing around with her kimono loose down to the edge of her breasts and showing off bits of her pink bra; her skirt was up and showed him her drenched pink panties with his hand still on the inner side of her thigh as she looked at him lovingly with her arms around his neck and he asked her what she was giggling about softly and she answered.

"That was my first time kissing anyone and I have to say not many girls can say that their first time kissing was that amazing." She said softly and playfully and he chuckled softly and pecked her lips and buried his face in her neck taking in her scent. It was his first time kissing; actually being this close to a girl and the spark that he felt was something out of this world as a question came out of his lips unconsciously.

"Temari will you be my girlfriend?" he asked softly and her eyes widened in surprise and Naruto quickly continued not wanting her to think he was forcing her into anything.

"It's alright if you don't want to. I don't know a lot about relationships or dating but I wanted to you know…" he was cut off as Temari captured his lips and stopped his babbling and looked at him lovingly as she broke off.

"Of course I will you idiot. I don't care about the way others go about dating but you're mine now and I'm not letting you go." She said softly and he pecked her lips gently as he looked at her with all the love he could muster.

"And those soft pink lips now belong to me and I'm not letting you go." He said softly and she smiled as she held his face to her neck and both fell asleep from the soft breeze of the few trees in the training field and the shade of the tree they were under gave them a lot of comfort.

Naruto woke up a couple of hours later to see himself wrapped in Temari's arms who was sleeping soundly and saw that it was nearly sunset as he kissed her neck gently getting a soft moan from the sleeping girl and pecked her lips as she opened her eyes and smiled at him wrapping her arms around his neck and gazing into his eyes lovingly.

"Hey handsome." She said softly and he smiled.

"Hey beautiful." He answered softly and both leaned in and kissed each other passionately and broke off with a trail of saliva and both looking flushed and breathing heavily and gazing at each other in love as the orange light of the sunset fell on the field making it a truly majestic sight and just as the sun dipped both leaned in for the final kiss of the evening and broke off as the sky now had little light and broke off from their kiss as Naruto's lower lip bled a bit from the bite Temari gave him as she kissed the bit of blood away and both got up. Temari fixed her clothes and pulled on her ANBU Armor and tied her red waist band which flowed with the breeze and put her hair in a single high ponytail that came to her waist since it wasn't now divided into the usual four pig tails.

Both started walking out of the fields as they came into the shopping district of the village and Temari put her head on his shoulder and wrapped her body against his arm and Naruto wrapped his arm pulling her closer and both walked slowly gathering glances and whispers all over the village not caring in the slightest as they went home. They put off their shinobi equipment and Temari dropped her ANBU armour now only in her slit skirt and blue deep neck kimono. Naruto started making dinner and she stood beside him leaning against the counter as he stood beside her ready to start chopping the vegetables when she spoke up.

"Do you need any help?" she asked looking down fiddling with her feet a faint pink blush on her face and he raised an eyebrow. He knew she didn't know how to cook but wanted to be close to him and smiled as he caught her wrist spun her around as she squealed and held her back against his chest with his chin on her shoulder and put the knife in her hand as he put his hands on hers and started chopping. Temari had a scarlet blush on her face and loved being so closely held against him.

"You're an even better cook than I am." He said softly and playfully in her ear as he put her hand on the handle of the pan putting the cut vegetables in the boiling water for the soup and she elbowed him giggling as he prepared the tempura for the shrimp in the same way. Gaara and Kankuro came in the kitchen and watched with stupefied expressions at the couple that were giggling and cooking lost in their old world. Kankuro's jaw was on the ground as he was pointing his finger at them and his jaw moved up and down but no words came out. Gaara came out of his stupor and smirked.

"Guess they finally got together." He said as he looked at them in disbelief and both walked beside the couple gaining their attention as both Naruto and Temari smiled at them and Temari had a blush on her face.

"What have you done to my sister? She never acts this nicely to anyone." Kankuro said stupidly as the temperature in the room dropped and Gaara took a couple of steps sideways from the now shaking boy.

"What did you just say?" she asked sweetly and Kankuro turned pale as a sheet and started apologizing and holding his hands in front of his jewels but she didn't want to have any of that. She tried to get off Naruto's hold but he just held tighter and nibbled her ear getting a soft moan and gently kissed her neck softly at several points gaining a couple of more soft moans as she held her head sideways giving him access and her anger forgotten. Naruto stopped and put his chin on her shoulder their cheeks touching as she put a hand on his cheek and smiled.

"He said sorry and he didn't mean it Mari-Chan you can forgive him can't you?" he asked softly and she nodded rubbing his whisker marks and melted in his arms as he rubbed her stomach softly.

"Alright." She whispered with closed eyes and Naruto smiled and glanced at Kankuro who was crying anime tears at being saved and Gaara was smiling.

"Take care of my sister Uzumaki." Said Gaara and he smiled and nodded as all of them had dinner with Temari being pulled on Naruto's lap and both feeding each other and went to their rooms. Naruto changed in his usual night clothes and got in bed as Temari came and got in bed with him in her usual nightwear and he switched off the light; only moonlight coming in through the window as they kissed passionately for a few moments and broke off breathing heavily as Temari put her head on his chest and closed her eyes with Naruto running his fingers through her free flowing blonde hair and both had smiles on their faces with blushes on their cheeks.

"Good night Naru-kun." She whispered closing her eyes.

"Good night Mari-chan." He whispered and closed his eyes holding her tightly as she snuggled into his neck and both fell into a deep slumber enjoying each other's warmth.

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 _ **Author's Notes : There is the next chapter and Naruto and Temari get together as both open up their hearts to each other. As I've said before the story is going slowly but that's the way it had to go to progress as I wanted and not go all jutsu throwing like crazy fics or just come and have sex in a couple of chapters with no progression kind of romance fics. I like development of characters slowly and this is what I meant. If you like this way of things going leave your comments in reviews so I know I'm going the right way and not wasting my time with these slow chapters. Konoha will be revealed in the upcoming chapters as many of you have asked and what happened after Naruto left will be revealed**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Naruto : Desert Flower**

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 **Sunagakure no sato**

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 **(Timeskip One Month)**

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Naruto opened his eyes as the rays of sunlight flickered over his eyes and a groan escaped his lips as he tried to move but couldn't. He looked down at his chest to see the familiar mop of sandy blonde hair that he loved so much and smiled. He put his hand gently over her head and started running his fingers through her long blonde hair tucking in a lock of hair behind her ear as a small smile graced her lips and she snuggled her face in the crook of his neck and kissed it softly in her sleep making him chuckle. He saw that she was in a deep slumber but he had to wake her up and get started on his training. Over the past month since they were together, they hadn't been able to spend much time together since Gaara had her doing missions continuously with her being called the Wind Mistress of the Sand for her impeccable record in missions. Naruto was happy that she had been promoted to Jounin yesterday since the forces needed some high ranking and skilled shinobi in the higher tier of the shinobi forces and with her strategic mind along with the respect she held in the village, both due to her performance and her name and status in the village, her promotion was unanimous in the vote done by the village council.

He brushed the locks of silky blonde hair falling on her face and brushed them off as he leaned down and captured her small and soft pink lips in a kiss. Temari was in a deep sleep when she felt something pressed against her lips and opened her eyes groggily to see but the sensation on her lips told her what it was and she wrapped her arms around his neck as she now lay on top of him and he had one hand buried in her hair and the other soothingly rubbing her lower back just above the waist band of the panties that were the only thing covering her at the moment apart from the loose t-shirt she wore to sleep. She loved those gentle touches he gave her and make her melt in his arms but would never do anything that would take it too far. She trusted him so much that over the past month she had become comfortable enough to wear just a t-shirt and panties in her sleep and never once had Naruto gave her even a wrong touch that would make her feel uncomfortable or tried anything to fool around.

 **(Flashback)**

She still remembered last night, she had been dead tired by the continuous missions that had been straining her and had come home in the evening dead tired to see Naruto just come back from his own training in the same condition as her. He had still cooked her dinner with her favourite side dish and had asked her to come to the room early and get changed just in a towel. She was stunned by his request but had agreed with a smile, the trust she held for him didn't make her doubt him in the slightest. She got into the room to see Naruto in the bathroom and got out of her clothes and wrapped a small towel on herself and lied down on the bed on her stomach, her face in the pillow dead tired. She was barely hanging onto consciousness and was about to fall asleep any moment.

She didn't even sense the bathroom door opening and Naruto coming out and sitting down beside her on the bed. She shivered as she felt Naruto's breath on her neck as she felt him give him a small kiss on her neck and let out a soft moan and smiled. She suddenly felt something wet on her shoulders and looked up to see Naruto rolling up his sleeves and looked at him curiously.

"So what are you about to do Naru-kun, why did you ask me to remove my clothes and get here only in a towel?" she asked softly and he smiled as he kissed her on her cheek softly and nibbled her ear as she let out a soft moan and whispered.

"Mari-hime you have been so stressed over the month and your body needs time to rest, I'll take off your stress tonight." He whispered and shivers ran down her spine as she gazed into his cerulean eyes gazing at her lovingly and nodded. She felt him rub the wet substance all over her uncovered shoulders when he started applying pressure and working out the kinks in her shoulders. She immediately understood he was giving her a massage and let out a soft moan as she felt her tense shoulder relaxing. She felt him rubbing her shoulders gently when all of a sudden he would squeeze her hard and she would let out a soft moan.

"Umm Naru-kun you didn't Ahh have to do mmm this." She said between moans as she felt his breath on her neck and felt him kissing the sensitive skin on her neck squeezing her arms hardly under him as he nibbled her ear and she let out another soft moan.

"You don't seem like complaining." He whispered and started pulling down the towel gently to her waist as she got up a bit to let him and he pulled it down until it reached her lower back and still left her butt covered and started massaging her back with the massaging oil, sometimes gentle and sometimes harder on the tense muscles where she would let out a soft moan.

"Umm Naru-kun?" she whispered in a moan and he brought his head down to listen to her closely.

"Yes hime?" he whispered gently and she smile.

"You scare me sometimes you know that umm." She said and let out a soft moan as he pushed his hands on a pulled muscle and working out the pain.

"Why is that hime?" he asked softly and she smiled at the concern and affection in his voice.

"The amount of control you have over me, with just a touch or whisper is, ohh right there, too much." She said softly and he rubbed the part she responded to.

"You make me cum without ever even touching, umm, the wrong way and just with, ahh, gentle kisses and touches. You know if you want, oooh, that I would give myself to you anytime right?" she asked between soft moans and gasps and he smiled and brought his lips to her neck kissing her neck softly and then kissed her softly on the ear squeezing her forearms tightly as she let out a soft moan.

"I would never touch you in any way you don't want hime, and I would die before I force you into anything like that." He said softly and she smiled and got up covering her breast by crossing her arms and holding the towel as she kissed him gently on the lips.

"I know." She whispered softly with one hand rubbing his cheek and the other holding the towel. Naruto smiled and turned her around gently laying her back down in the previous position as he started on her thighs and calf's and her soft moans and gasps filled the room again. She was grateful since she knew how tired he was from all the body conditioning and pure high speed based taijutsu he was practicing every day and still did this for her. He stopped after fifteen minutes and covered her with the towel again and saw that she was just about to sleep.

"Not now him just hold on a bit longer for me alright." He said softly and picked her up bridal style carrying her into the bathroom as she saw the bathtub filled with water and herbs as he put her down in the warm water and all the muscles in her body relaxed and she let out a content sigh. She was thankful for the bath he had prepared for her and would never tell him but her orgasm came twice in that massage he gave her and now she was feeling exhausted and was barely able to stand. All the oil was washed off from her body as Naruto came in fifteen minutes later and picked her up from the bath that was beginning to cold as she wrapped her arms around his neck and knew she was making him wet, but he didn't mind the slightest. He put her down behind the changing wooden panel and wrapped her up in a big dry towel and handed her a t-shirt and panties and stood at the other side of the panel. She dried herself off and put on her t-shirt and panties and now her legs were trembling from just standing up.

"Naru-kun I'm done." She whispered embarrassed that she couldn't even stand up without help and her legs were now numb from the pleasure of the massage and the orgasms she had. Naruto came and picked her up bridal style and she snuggled into his chest wrapping her arms around his neck as she yawned cutely and Naruto put her on the bed gently and tucked her in the blanket giving her a small peck on the lips as he walked back but Temari gripped his wrist.

"Where are you going?" she asked and he smiled.

"Well hime I'll be back after a shower and change of clothes alright?" he said and she softened her hold and nodded.

"Hurry up alright." She said in a pleading and small voice and he bent down and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips as he put a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I will hime, just give me fifteen minutes." He said and she let go with a nod as he went into the bathroom and showered changing into his night clothes and came out after twenty minutes and gently got into the blanket switching the lights off as Temari wrapped herself around him and yawned as she kissed his neck and buried her face in it.

"You're late." She said in a mock angry voice and he smiled.

"I'm sorry hime but I just missed a precious five minutes with an angel, can you blame me?" he asked softly in a playful voice and she smiled.

"And just who might this angel be?" she asked softly and equally playfully.

"Well she just has these beautiful blonde hair, teal green eyes that hold all the warmth in the world and soft small pink lips that just belong to me." He said softly and she let out a mock growl.

"Well mister you're not getting out of your punishment so easily." She said in a mock stern tone and he smiled mischievously.

"Is that right?" he asked playfully and kissed her nose and started kissing her all over the neck and she giggled feeling ticklish.

"Alright, alright I forgive you now stop." She said in between giggles and he stopped and gave her a smile.

"See now that wasn't so hard now was it?" he asked gently cupping her cheek as they put their forehead together gazing into each other's eyes lovingly.

"Arigato." She whispered and he smiled and kissed her forehead wrapping her up in his arms and put her head on his chest.

"Sleep now hime you're tired, you need the rest." He said softly and kissed the top of her head running his fingers in her hair as she yawned and her eyes drooped heavily.

"Good night Naru-kun." She whispered as sleep claimed her.

"Good night Mari-hime." He whispered and his own eyes closed as he gave into his own exhaustion.

 **(End of Flashback)**

She was broken out of her thoughts as both broke the kiss and both had their foreheads touching and were gazing at each other lovingly.

"Morning Naru-kun." She whispered.

"Morning Mari-hime." He whispered and she smiled as both sat up with Naruto leaning his back against the headboard of the bed and Temari put her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his waist as he brought her closer pulling her close to him with her waist. Temari stretched her muscles a bit and they felt like they had just been rebuilt and she felt that she could take on anything. She gazed at Naruto's face and saw that he was tired, his eyes showed her what he was feeling and she felt guilty that he had done that last night for her even after his own exhaustion. Then an idea popped into her mind.

"Naru-kun?" she whispered and he looked down to see her drawing circles on his chest.

"Yes hime?" he asked and she looked up to see his eyes looking at her with the same innocence he always had.

"Take the day off today. Let's celebrate my promotion, we have to have our first date too you know." She said and he put his finger under her chin and kissed her lips softly.

"Alright." He said and she beamed. Both got up and went downstairs to see Gaara and Kankuro eating a wide spread breakfast and Naruto was confused. Why were they eating breakfast they ordered from the outside when they liked his cooking? Gaara caught his questioning look and spoke up.

"We thought you might be too tired to cook so we ordered from the outside." He said stoically and Naruto nodded as both Temari and Naruto took their seats.

"Yeah after all those noises we heard last night we thought the both of you might be too tired." Said Kankuro giggling perversely as Temari had a scarlet blush on her face and her eye was twitching dangerously at his insinuation. She glanced at Naruto and saw his head tilted to the side in confusion and looking so innocent that she resisted the urge to yell KAWAIII and glomp him. She turned to Kankuro and decided to explain before Gaara spoke up.

"Uzumaki you didn't hurt or force her did you? If you weren't gentle to her last night I swear…" he said as sand swirled behind him and Naruto was even more confused. He was quite gentle in his massage in his opinion.

"I was quite gentle, I think. Did I hurt you hime?" he asked innocently to a tomato red Temari who knew he didn't get what he was saying right now and she decided to clear it all up before Naruto made it all worse but when she saw the innocence in his eyes she just put a hand on his lap and he was silenced as he waited for an answer and she took deep breaths to calm herself down.

"Listen Gaara last night Naruto just gave me a massage nothing else. You are misunderstanding it." She said calming herself down and Gaara's eyes widened before he understood his mistake and nodded.

"I see." He said with a small smile, he should have known those two weren't like that but Kankuro decided to add his own two cents unfortunately.

"Oooh yeah a massage, what kind of a massage?" he asked giggling perversely as the volcano named Temari exploded.

"KANKURO !" was heard all throughout the village as his screams were heard all throughout the village. Naruto was thinking of calming down Temari but Gaara put a hand over his shoulder and shook his head. Then he tried to think what the misunderstanding was all about.

"Hey Gaara what did you two think we were doing last night?" he asked innocently and Gaara answered.

"We thought you two were having sex." He said stoically and Naruto became as red as a tomato.

"Oh" he said intelligently and knew Kankuro was now all on his own. Temari wasn't going to stop until she was done with him. Both Gaara and Naruto ate ignoring the screams of the puppeteer as after a few moments Temari came dusting off her hands leaving an unrecognizable Kankuro behind and ate happily.

"Temari I have an idea for the date if you would like to hear it." Naruto said shyly and she smiled. He was a great and cheerful person ever since she had broken him out of his shell and back to his happy self but was now a bit calmer than before. No one knew it except her, but he was a shy boy when it came to romantic stuff and she knew he didn't have any idea what dating was, but was still attempting to do it for her so she nodded.

"Alright Naruto you surprise me today alright." She said and he nodded, happy that she trusted him to plan the date.

"Alright Temari get ready we are going to spend the whole day together on our date." He said happily and she smiled. Gaara too smiled seeing his sister and best friend so happy and he admitted that they made a fine couple. Naruto prepared the food for lunch and put it all in a basket and sealed it in a scroll as he dressed up in his usual clothes and waited for Temari to come down. He heard footsteps from behind and his breath was caught in his throat as he saw Temari come down. She was wearing a thigh length white silk kimono with blue desert lilies embroidered on the bottom and had her hair done in a loose bun with a senbon needle holding it and her two bangs loose from her usually tied hair framing her face. She was wearing blue shinobi sandals and no makeup, not that she needed it in his opinion and was gazing at him with curious eyes and a faint pink blush on her face.

"So how do I look?" she squeaked out timidly and he walked up to her as she was looking down too embarrassed to look at him. He brought her chin up and captured her lips in a small kiss and nibbled her ear getting a soft moan and smiled at his ability to make her so sensitive to his touches.

"For a moment there you took my breath away." He whispered and she blushed a scarlet red blush and buried her face in his shoulder too embarrassed to look at him and Naruto chuckled softly and wrapped her up in his arms as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Baka." She whispered and he chuckled at her embarrassed voice.

"Really, so I am a baka to think my hime is so pretty?" he asked playfully and she punched his chest and looked at him trying to glare but failing with the blush present on her face.

"Yes you're still a baka. But you're my baka." She said softly and buried her face in his neck as she knew he was smiling at her blush and she was too embarrassed to show it to him.

"I should wear something nice too. I didn't know we were supposed to dress up for dates." He said and she looked up at him with a smile. She knew all about his social problems and never once had she minded it in the least. So what if he didn't do the things that usually couples do, his innocent eyes and loving heart made it all up for it and even beyond it, in her opinion.

"No I chose your clothes remember, you look handsome enough as it is, I don't want to beat the girls off of you." She said happily and he grinned foxily at her.

"Why afraid someone might steal me?" he asked playfully and she looked at him annoyed.

"As if let those sluts try, I'll beat them out of it with my fans." She said as two fans appeared from her loose kimono sleeves and he smiled. She was a true kunoichi always ready for a battle, not like those fan girls he saw in his old village. He kissed her neck gently licking and kissing her sensitive points as her breathing became erratic and she let out a soft moan and he smiled pecking her lips as he brought his mouth to her ear.

"You're the only one I want to hear those soft moans from my hime." He said softly and she hugged him tightly expressing how much she cared for him and loved him. He wrapped his arms around her as she melted in his arms.

"Alright let's go Mari-hime we still have that date you know." He said and she nodded as both left the Sabaku estate and walked through the village. Temari was wrapped up against him with him holding by her waist and her head on his shoulder. Most of the shop owners smiled and waved at them since they were the most popular couple in the village and almost everyone knew about him now due to Temari. Temari who already had a fan club in the village had less boys chasing after her since they knew she only had eyes for Naruto and none had the balls to stand against her brother. Naruto apparently had his own little fan club which annoyed Temari to no end since she had found a couple of girls flirting with him telling him how good his exotic features were. Naruto being the ever oblivious one thought it was good to be praised and was thanking them not understanding they were flirting until Temari had scared them off and had scolded him lightly like a mother would with her hands on her hips and he had apologized saying he didn't know. She couldn't even stay mad as she had looked at his innocent eyes apology and had forgiven him instantly hugging him saying it was alright.

"So where are we going Naru-kun?" she whispered and he smiled holding her waist tightly and kissed the top of her head as she snuggled into his shoulder.

"That's a surprise hime but I think you'll like it. I found it myself last week and it's a great place." He said and now her curiosity was raised as they walked towards the residential area of the village that was still scarce and was mostly for sale to new residents and walked into a clearing. Suddenly Naruto stopped and got behind her and as she tried to turn but he held her close and in place by her stomach and put another hand on her eyes as she smiled already knowing what he was doing.

"What are you doing Naru-kun?" she asked and he answered as he put his head on her shoulder their cheeks touching and Temari leaned in to make their contact closer and he smiled as their cheeks were now together.

"Walk with me hime I want to surprise you." He said softly and she nodded as he started to walk slowly with her to a part of the clearing as they walked slowly and Temari stumbled a few times giggling as Naruto kept her in place. She noticed that suddenly she felt the air quite colder and a lot less dry as she smelled the smell of wet muddy soil and trees and heard the sound of water falling and stopped as Naruto held her closer and nibbled her ear softly as she giggled and he whispered.

"Alright hime we're here. So are you ready?" he asked and she nodded with a smile as Naruto put his hand out and she opened her eyes slowly and her eyes widened as her heart skipped a beat. She put her hands over her mouth in surprise. She saw that they were in a strange cave which was as big as the Sabaku estate and there were trees in here and greenery like she had never before seen in Suna. There was a small waterfall coming from a crack in the cave which led a small stream through the cave. She saw many small white tiger cubs playing as a small cub came near her legs rubbing himself against her and she picked him up softly cradling him in her arms as he looked at her with wide curious eyes and she kissed his nose as he purred softly and nuzzled in her arms. She smiled brushing his soft fur as it walked up her arms and shoulders and wrapped itself behind her neck and fell asleep as she giggled at the cute little cub. She turned to Naruto who was standing watching the interaction with a smile.

"Where are we Naru-kun, how did you find this place?" she asked in a trance and he smiled.

"Well that cub that you have on your neck sleeping is Kiara, my personal summon of the white tiger clan. A week ago I tried to summon to see if I could still summon the toads and landed in the realm of the white tiger clan. Their leader Lord Fenrir accepted me as their summoner and came to see where I lived. He could become small like a normal tiger and walked around the village outside of the view of people and said that this place was too barren for the summoner of the prideful white tiger clan. He came with me here and saw this small barren hill then asked me to break the hill at a certain point. I smashed a **Rasengan** and the opening to this cave opened up. We came in to see this big round barren cave and he reverse summoned the elder tigers here who used their skills with Nature Chakra that they said they would train me in, in the future and changed it into this. I opened up some holes restricted by environment seals that only let sunlight come in and there you have it." He said pointing to the cave with his arms and she looked around at the majestic place.

"I have talked about it to Gaara and he has bought this place for me and I'll pay him back after I collect enough money. This place is restricted by heavy Uzumaki barrier seals attuned only to mine and your chakra and I will build my house here to live here and raise my family here. Most probably with you." He whispered the last part out very slowly but Temari heard it and smiled as she hugged him tightly.

"This a great place to raise our family here one day Naru-kun." She said softly and he looked at her with wide eyes.

"Are you saying that you want to raise a family with me?" he asked in a really nervous and hopeful tone and Temari smiled she had never felt this sure for anything but knew that he was the only one she would spend her life with.

"Yes Naru-kun you're the only one I would want to spend my life with, that is if you would want to." She said in a questioning tone at Naruto who was staring at her as she rubbed his whiskers when he suddenly wrapped his arms around her and kissed her passionately. Their lips moved in a synchronised manner as Naruto licked her bottom lip softly and she opened her mouth as he explored her mouth and she massaged his tongue letting him do what he wanted. He broke off the kiss after two minutes as both were breathing heavily and she saw tears streaming down his eyes when he suddenly captured her lips again and she moaned as their tongues battled for dominance and held his golden hair as she pushed her tongue in his mouth and he massaged it gently and they broke off. She saw he was still crying when he embraced her in the tightest hug he had ever held her in and sobbed as she held him and ran her fingers in his hair trying to calm him down.

"Why are you crying Naru-kun? What's wrong?" she asked softly gently cradling his head in her chest as he spoke in between sobs.

"Do you really mean it? You want to have a family with me?" he asked softly in between hiccups and she smiled as she kissed his tears away and nodded . He smiled as he buried his face in her chest and she held him tightly. Now she understood, he was finally happy that someone accepted him and was willing to give him the one thing he craved for most in this world – Family. Naruto felt he had achieved something in his life he had never thought was possible for him before. Someone was willing to spend her whole life with him and accepted him completely knowing everything about him.

"I love you Mari-Chan." He whispered softly in her chest and she smiled and kissed his forehead gently and gazed at him lovingly.

"I love you too Naru-kun." She whispered as a tear of her own rolled down her eye and she gave him a smile with a gentle push on his lips with her own pouring all her heart into it to let him know how much she loved him. The boy who had captured her heart in such a short time who she trusted with her life and soul.

Both sat down by the small stream with their feet in the water holding each other as every now and then one would kiss the other and were lost in their own little world as lunch time came and Naruto unsealed it as they sat underneath a tree and Naruto unsealed the food. She smiled as she saw all of her favourite things being pulled out, from tempura fried lobster cutlets, white crab soup and some cold strawberry flavoured milkshake, for which she asked how it was still so cold and he answered grinning. The beauty of sealing was the answer she got. It must have cost him a lot she mused and both ate as they spent their time making small talk with two or three make out sessions every hour and didn't even realize when it was night. They took some food from the restaurant and went straight to their room as Naruto sat with Temari, her back against his chest and his arms wrapped around her stomach. Both were reading a small book on a simple romantic couple and eating the food they brought with them slowly as Temari turned the page when Naruto said he had read it. Occasionally Naruto would kiss her neck or nibble her ear softly getting a giggle or a soft moan out of her. As they finally finished the small book Naruto spoke up.

"You know they weren't nearly as romantic as us hime." He said and she giggled as she turned around and sat on his lap her head resting on his shoulder as he had one arm wrapped around her waist and one playing with her free flowing hair.

"Really?" she asked playfully and he smiled at his mischievous girlfriend and started kissing her all over her face and neck making her giggle from the ticklish kisses he laid on her.

"Alright you're right we're more more romantic than anyone so stop please." She said as tears came from her eyes from laughing as he stopped and both rested in each other's arms as Naruto pulled up a blanket up to their necks and Temari snuggled into his arms burying her face in his neck kissing it softly as she yawned cutely and closed her eyes sighing happily.

"Today was the best day of my life Naru-kun." She said softly gazing into his eyes lovingly.

"Mine too hime." He said softly returning her gaze and pushed his lips to her gently kissing her lips as both broke off and closed their eyes snuggling into each other's arms as Naruto switched the lights off.

"Good night Mari-Chan." He whispered kissing the top of her head and closing his eyes as he pulled her closer by her waist.

"Good night Naru-kun." She whispered giving him a soft kiss on his neck and snuggling her face into it as she closed her eyes and sleep claimed the both of them.

* * *

 _ **Author's notes : There is the next chapter. Now I'll have the three year timeskip to start the shippuden arc since the relationship has grown to be fine in my opinion. I'll reveal the training and some other moments using flashbacks in the chapters. The status of Konoha over the years and the effects of Naruto's banishment and his status in the sand village will also be revealed as to where he stands in terms of respect in the villages including Suna. There weren't any lemons as some of you have asked since they were only thirteen at this time and quite frankly I don't think that's the right age for sex and will be added in later chapters. Now the plot of the story begins since the main characters have developed nicely and the response I've gotten has been pretty interesting. Most of the readers liked my pace until now and don't worry I have only skipped out the training to not bore you and keep the skills a suspense but he will grow immensely that is for sure. So review and tell me how you liked the chapter and the story. Until next time keep reading and reviewing. Ja Ne ;)**_


	6. Chapter 6

**Naruto : Desert Flower**

* * *

 **(Timeskip Three Years)**

* * *

 **Konohagakure no sato**

* * *

 **Hokage Tower**

* * *

 **Hokage Office**

* * *

Tsunade was sitting in her office going through paperwork and had black rings under her eyes from the lack of sleep she had from the stress that had accumulated on her over the years. She was the one who was hit the hardest with Naruto's banishment in the whole village. She had resorted to sake as her relief but that too only temporarily resolved her pain. she had turned vicious towards the council especially the esteemed elders or the mummies as she liked to call them. She had tried to change the opinion of the council but they were firm on their opinion along with the fire daimyo's support only the feudal lord had the power to overturn the decision for Naruto but she knew he wouldn't get his hands into such a trivial matter.

She was broken out of her musings as Shizune came in saying the council was called. She grit her teeth knowing that those dead weights on the face of the earth would do or say something to completely destroy her already stressed situation.

* * *

 **Hokage Tower**

* * *

 **Council Chambers**

* * *

The Konoha council was called as the clan heads sat to the right side of the table with the civilian council to the left and the clan elders at the front. They were all murmuring on trivial things as Tsunade entered and took her seat at the head of the table with a stern expression on her face.

"Alright who has called this meeting and why? And trust me, there better be a good reason for this or else I won't be really happy." She said in a cold tone as both sides of the council gulped from her tone and glanced at each other to see who had called the meeting.

"We have called the meeting Tsunade." Said Koharu and Tsunade narrowed her eyes at the old coot.

"It's Hokage-sama to you esteemed elder Koharu, remember that or Anko will remind you to know how to address your superiors personally. Now may I know the reason for this urgent meeting that you have called us here for." She stated coldly and the council was silent as everyone knew how vicious she had turned after the banishment of the demon brat. Koharu sweated at her tone and threat and nodded.

"My apologies Hokage-sama, but we have some important information and some situations we would like to address with you." Said Koharu and Tsunade nodded motioning her to continue on as she spoke up.

"As you know Hokage-sama since the last year our alliances with the wave and spring countries have been in turmoil for the past two years; and now they have finally broken all alliances, as the three-year trade alliances with them came for renewal they completely rejected them and have allied themselves to Suna now completely; and they have said to have gained an even better alliance contract than us." Said Koharu as Tsunade raised an eyebrow at her words.

"Oh how so?" asked Tsunade curiously and Homura spoke up this time.

"Earlier in our alliances we were allied only for mutual trade contracts. It was a give take sort of a relationship. They supplied us with their resources and we compliantly to the contract supplied them with the native resources of the Land of Fire." He said and Tsunade nodded already knowing it as he continued.

"But their alliance for Suna is completely different. Since Suna isn't as rich in the native plantations that we possess they have decided to give their own resources in return." He said and Tsunade looked at him confused.

"And what is the problem with that?" she asked and Koharu replied.

"Since Suna is mainly rich only in metals or precious stones they have put in the alliance to give those to them at a lesser price getting their resources in return for the reconciliation." Said Koharu and Tsunade understood everything. Suna gained resources and even managed to sell them their own while the leaf only exchanged them at the exchange price laid down in the alliance which gave Suna the deal in which they could manage their own prices, which meant Suna had complete control. Homura however continued.

"Moreover Spring and Wave have put a term in the alliance that Suna will provide them with the military might they need making them the only village that gets their contracts for missions as well as the other employers who they work with. The Daimyo is pretty angry at losing such precious alliances with us and after hearing the benefits of the alliance that he could have gotten and is demanding answers." Homura finished and Tsunade had to say that it was quite a great deal. Suna must have had a good negotiator to pull off such a great deal.

"Well that is bad news that we have lost such great allies for trade alliances but it's nice that they haven't been lost towards one of our enemy villages. Any idea on why they would have decided to end an alliance with the leaf?" she asked as the elders glanced at each other for a moment before shaking their heads and Tsunade had her eyes narrowed. They knew something but weren't telling her so she decided to ask about dismissing the council when much to her ire her least favourite person on the council spoke up.

"Actually Tsunade-sama there is one more issue we would like to discuss." Said Danzo and she motioned for him to continue on.

"We have come across some information about the new security system employed by the sand village." He said and her eyes narrowed.

"And how exactly would you have come across some top secret information about a village's internal security system?" she asked and he cursed under his breath. He had slipped up and now she was on to him.

"That's not important, the issue at hand is." He said and she motioned for him to continue as he had dodged a bullet but she kept it in her mind to look into the matter later.

"They have erected a new barrier system that is in many ways similar to our own." He said and the clan heads protested that they must have stolen it from the leaf but Tsunade told them to calm down and listen to the man as Danzo continued.

"It couldn't have been stolen from us since it is a much better system than us." He said and the room became deathly silent. Their internal security system was the best and the leaf prided themselves in it. If Suna had created an even better security system, then that was news to the world about the might of the village.

"Our system only tells us if a shinobi has entered the village or not, but their system allows them to instantly become alert in case of a breach and locate the intruder since the whole village's people's chakra signature has been added to the system making it almost impossible to breach Suna. They have made their village into a fortress, they can see the world but the world can't see what going on inside their village. Their system is unbreachable." He said and the whole council was at a loss for words. It was truly a remarkable system to have for the village making it impossible for any spies to get in.

"Moreover, in the previous few years their quality of sealing equipment has increased dramatically. Their exploding tags are much more powerful than before at almost thrice the strength of our own. And their other sealing equipments too have increased in their complexity much more dramatically." He finished shocking the council once more.

"Looks like this is all the work of someone who possesses excessive knowledge of fuinjutsu." Said Shikaku and everyone nodded in agreement.

"But how Suna was never known for its Sealing Arts. Lady Chiyo was their last seal master and she doesn't even hold a candle to Master Jiraiya in sealing and he is just a level 8 seal master. Plus, where did they gain the knowledge of such high level fuinjutsu to train such a great seal master?" Said Hiashi and everyone nodded again. To make that much of a difference in so much in such little time was unexpected and the work of a true seal master.

"But how could it be. Our seals were handed down to us by Shodaime-sama himself." Said Shikaku and Tsunade snorted as everyone looked at her curiously.

"Please my grandfather wasn't a seal master at the level to create such high quality seals that have been handed down to us." She said and everyone was confused and Tsunade continued.

"All of our complex seals were handed down to us by my grandmother Mito Senju formerly known as Mito Uzumaki of the once great Uzumaki clan of Uzushiogakure no sato. The barrier system was a gift from the elders of the Uzumaki clan as a tribute to the alliance formed between Konoha and Uzu through the marriage of my grandparents when the two royal families joined together. The symbol of a spiral we wear on our backs is the clan symbol of the Uzumaki clan to honour the alliance formed at the foundation of Konohagakure no sato. It has all been recorded and kept safe in the Senju history archives." She finished and everyone was stunned that what they all believed all this time was wrong.

"Wait then why don't we know about all of this?" asked an angered Hiashi and Tsunade smiled sadly.

"During the start of the Second Great Shinobi War Uzu was attacked and destroyed by a joint effort of Kiri, Kumo and Iwa due to the fear of the Uzumaki clan and their prowess in fuinjutsu. They sent for help to Konoha but we didn't have forces to spare and until the time help reached Uzu was already in ruins. The whole village was wiped out. My grandfather and granduncle feeling the shame at not being able to save their family were so guilty that they removed all records of the clan to forget the shame that Konoha felt at the time. I know it since the Senju and Uzumaki were cousin clans tied through blood and all records are kept in the Senju Family archives." She finished and all of them sat silent taking in the information as not even Danzo knew the truth that the Uzumaki and Senju were that closely related.

"Hey wasn't Naruto an Uzumaki? Was he related to the clan?" asked Shikaku as he remembered another Uzumaki before him. Kushina was her name if he remembered right, he thought and Tsunade shook her head.

"His heritage was known only to the Sandaime and he took it with him to the grave. Only Naruto himself knows of it because the Sandaime left him a sealed wooden box telling him about it, which I handed over to him at the time of his banishment. It could just have been a way for the Sandaime to honour the once great clan or something else, we shall never know." She said sadly as the memories of him returned to her and her heart ached, she missed her idiotic blonde and his ever present smile. Shikaku was remembering the tomboyish red haired girl and remembered who she was always around with. His eyes widened suddenly; blonde hair, cerulean blue eyes no one else had those exotic features. So that's why he chose him to seal the Kyuubi, he was his own son. Tsunade saw the expression of realization, shock and horror on his face and was curious as to what had a Nara so worked up.

"What's the matter Shikaku, you have something to say?" she said and Shikaku stared at her for a few moments before he sighed and shook his head.

"No Tsunade-sama just remembered something about my wife." He said as several clan heads snickered and Tsunade knew he was lying through his teeth immediately. Shikaku knew that anything about it now was a waste of time, the boy was most probably dead by now since there had been no news of him in the past three years and the way of his banishment left very little chance for his survival. They had driven away the prince of the village with such royal blood without even realizing it. He decided to drop the moot point since it was too troublesome for now.

"So Tsunade-sama what are we going to do about it?" asked Homura and she looked at him confused.

"Do about what?" she asked curiously as the elders were shocked.

"About Suna of course, something must be done about them." Said Koharu and she was even more curious now.

"I'm sorry I don't really follow you." Said Tsunade and now they were flabbergasted.

"What do you mean they are getting too powerful, we must do something!" said Danzo in outrage and now Tsunade was enraged.

"We will do nothing of the sort, they are the only major village which is completely neutral to Konoha and the Kazekage is coming in a few days to make the final negotiations of the alliance propositions with us that the Suna council has been delaying for the past two years. Now that I know their strength and the alliances they hold, I want to make this work even more." She said calmly and the whole council nodded as all of them except Tsunade were thinking of ways to get their hands on the power that Suna now held and to forge an alliance with them that was solid enough to last and get them something in return.

"I have an idea for the alliance to work and last long Tsunade-sama." Said Danzo and she grimaced inwardly already knowing it to be something ugly which would make her throw a fit though urged for him to go on.

"Why not forge an alliance the same way your grandfather did with Uzushiogakure no sato?" he asked and she rose an eyebrow at that.

"A political marriage?" she asked and he nodded. "But for that to even be considered both parties must have important figures of their village to be married. Who do you have in mind?" she asked though she already had an idea who it would probably be from the leaf. Danzo smirked as he answered.

"Why not propose a marriage between Sasuke Uchiha; the last Uchiha and Sharingan holder to the leaf, and Temari no Sabaku the daughter of the Fourth Kazekage and the sister to the Fifth. It should hold the alliance firm and we benefit with a strong kunoichi from the sand with royal blood and she would be a perfect bride for Sasuke as he too desires a strong and powerful wife to rebuild his clan." He said and she nodded though Mebuki Haruno was seething at the idea of someone other than her daughter marrying the last Uchiha and losing her chance at gaining respect in the village.

"But why would they even consider sending her to our village what do they gain in return?" she asked and Danzo answered.

"They get a strong alliance and the support of the leaf, the loyalty of the Uchiha clan as well as the hand of the Uchiha heir in marriage. That should definitely be enough for them to be convinced and we even say that she gets dual citizenship to both villages so that she could go back to her village anytime she pleases, and imagine if any of her children manage to get the power of the Jiton kekkei genkai that runs in the blood of her family we might get the kekkei genkai that three of their Kazekage's are feared for. And that coupled with the Sharingan will make the Uchiha clan even stronger than before." He said and the whole council agreed seeing the advantages they would gain as well as the kekkei genkai they might get. Tsunade though scowled at the idea of breeding children for kekkei genkai though knew that it was a political matter and her own opinion didn't matter.

"Alright I'll talk to the Kazekage on this matter along with the rest of the matters concerning the alliance and we'll see what comes out of it." She said though she inwardly wanted to castrate that cripple for even suggesting such a disgusting thing.

"Alright then is there anything else you wish to discuss?" she asked and they shook their heads.

"Then the council is dismissed." Said Tsunade and they all left. Tsunade walked into her office and plopped down in her chair and poured herself some sake.

"Tsunade-sama what do you think would happen with the sand village?" asked Shizune as she knew why Tsunade was drinking sake at this time. The issue of Naruto that was picked up at the council was always a difficult thing for her.

"I don't know Shizune, I haven't met Gaara at all in the past few years. Their village was always sending a delegation in his place and ever since Temari quit being the Konoha-Suna official ambassador, the talks for the alliance have been pretty much at a stall but with this meeting the issue will be made clear once and for all. Plus, the upcoming chunin exams are being co-hosted by the leaf and the sand. The first two phases will be in the leaf with the third part being hosted by the sand. This will give us the time to complete the talks." She said and Shizune nodded as she went about to get the work of the office done.

Tsunade wondered where her blonde little gaki was, or if he was even alive. She had sent several ANBU over the years on his trail but all had returned without a trace saying he was now most probably dead or captured by some enemy village and most probably have his beast extracted and his body experimented upon. She wasn't ready to believe that her Naruto could be dead and a tear rolled down her eye at the guilt she felt at not being able to do anything for him.

* * *

 **Konohagakure no sato**

* * *

 **Barbeque Place**

* * *

The rookie eleven were gathered at the barbeque place along with their friends and were sitting there but there was only one person missing from the group - Sasuke Uchiha. Sasuke had gotten even more of a loner ever since he was brought back by Naruto and had his curse seal removed by Jiraiya even after many of his protests. Shikamaru was sitting there with a thoughtful expression on his face and Ino decided to question it.

"What's the matter with you Shikamaru?" she asked and he looked at her surprised not even noticing that he had spaced out and sighed.

"Nothing just thinking about the delegation that is about to come from the Sand. This year Leaf and Sand are co-hosting the chunin exams with the first two parts here while the third part is in the sand. Just wondering who will be in charge of it from their village." he said lazily and she smirked.

"Why want that Sand Princess Temari to be the one?" she asked in a sly tone and he threw her a glare. It was a touching point for him and everyone knew he liked her though she hadn't responded to any of his advances at all and that confused him to no end.

"You know that she doesn't want anything to do with me Ino, she made it pretty clear the last time we met a couple of years ago." He said somberly and she nodded sadly remembering how he was burnt off when he tried to ask her the reason for her rejection and she had all but given him the cold shoulder. She decided to change the topic and turned to her friend Sakura who was just quietly playing with her own food.

"So Sakura has Tsunade-sama agreed at taking you on as an apprentice?" she asked and Sakura frowned.

"No she has told me that she won't take any apprentice from the leaf village since she doesn't find anyone worthy enough in her eyes and told me to continue working at the hospital on my own." She said and Ino nodded. Everything she spoke was getting everyone in a bad mood she mused.

"Hey have you heard about the broken alliance of the Wave and the Spring villages?" asked Neji and they all nodded as Sakura grimaced and put her spoon down as Hinata looked at her confused.

"S-Sakura-chan is s-something wrong?" she asked with her usual stutter and Sakura looked down at her plate.

"Yes it is most probably due to Naruto." She said in a low voice and everyone was saddened at the way they had treated him all those years ago. None of them other than Sasuke and Sakura had wanted the boy to get banishment for his mistakes. Everyone knew how much Sakura missed the blonde especially after her last encounter with Sasuke. No one knew the details of what had happened but Sakura had lost her crush and had been depressed about Naruto leaving and had regretted her words to him that she spoke at the time of his leaving. She missed the blonde and his cheerful attitude as he always tried to cheer her up when she was down by asking her for a date and then would even take her lashing just to make her feel better.

She despised her own fan girl attitude that she held all those years ago and when she came off her high from Sasuke and her fantasy world he was long gone and missing from her life. Hinata too missed the blonde and wished she had the courage to go against her father and at least meet him one last time before he had left to confess her feelings for the blonde. Everyone else too regretted their last words to the blonde boy and wanted him to come back though knew there wasn't even a chance of that since he was most probably dead now. Sakura had asked Tsunade if she could go and find him but had gotten a serious lashing being asked if she hadn't already done enough and now she couldn't leave him in peace even after he was gone. She had cried and ran to her home and had kept herself locked up for two days before returning to duty. Shikamaru regretted his last words to his childhood friend and thought of how stupid he was to take out his frustration on him even though he brought Sasuke back.

Sasuke had all but cut off from the group saying they only tied him down and had a foul mouth and an even more arrogant attitude since the villagers treated him like a prince to keep him loyal to the village and had Kakashi now as his personal trainer. He had been promoted to jounin himself giving him even more arrogance than before as the council wished him to be as loyal as he could and give him the facilities he needed with the rank of jounin.

* * *

 **Sunagakure no sato**

* * *

It was a bright and usually hot day in the sand village as Temari walked through the village in her usual attire. She was wearing her purple battle kimono and dark purple skirt slit from both sides showing her toned thighs one of which had fishnet covering it with her other calf doing the same and was wearing an ANBU armour over it with a scarlet sash on her waist (See story icon for reference). She was walking to the weapons shop to get her battle fan back from maintenance when she felt two arms wrap around her waist and a pair of lips on her neck as she moaned and melted into the loving embrace of the man she loved so much.

"So where are you going hime?" asked a husky voice nibbling her ear and shivers ran down her spine as she turned around and gazed into those loving cerulean pools that she loved so much. She wrapped her arms around his neck and softly pressed her lips against his not caring the least about the people watching her as she broke the gentle kiss off rubbing his whiskers with her hand softly as he leaned into her hand making her smile.

Naruto stood there at six feet, taller than her by four inches and a lean athletic build with his hair shadowing his eyes giving him a mystifying look. He was wearing a light grey cut sleeves shirt and a white full sleeves jacket open in the front with blue ANBU pants and fingerless gloves with metal back plates and matching sandals to go with them. He wore his beige hip pouch and white kunai holster in the usual way and the Suna metal plate stitched on the jacket on his right arm under the Namikaze symbol and the Uzumaki swirl on the other arm. The most striking feature were the blue flames at the bottom of his jacket that accentuated his clothes. Temari traced her hands on his firm chest and put her head on it as he wrapped her up in his arms and she melted in the embrace and he disappeared in a **Water Shunshin.** He came back up to the top of the highest tower nearby and sat her down on his lap in the shade and she snuggled in his arms.

"Miss me hime?" he asked softly brushing her hair as he opened them of their bindings to let them flow freely and ran his fingers in them and she nodded hugging him.

"You were supposed to come back last night and here you are coming half a day late." She said in a mock angry tone and he smiled and kissed the top of her head softly.

"I'm sorry hime but there was a problem in the barrier and I had to go check it up. Some idiot tried to improve it but instead ruined the stability of the seals. As soon as I left I came to you without reporting the success to Gaara." He said softly making her smile as she looked up and pecked him happily.

"Well you did the right thing, I have to go to Gaara too, so let's go together." She said and he smiled and nodded as he kissed her neck and pulled her kimono sideways licking her collarbone that she was so sensitive to and she moaned softly running her fingers through his hair.

"Naru-kun." She moaned and he smiled and gave her a gentle kiss on her lips and fitted her kimono properly smiling at the pretty pink blush she had on her face. She started to tie her hair again as he caught her wrist and she looked at him confused.

"Let them flow in the wind hime, you look pretty that way." He said softly tucking a lock of hair behind her ear making her blush intensify as both stood up. He wrapped her up in a hug and both disappeared in a swirl of water going to the Kazekage Tower after heading to the weapons shop and having some lunch at his house with his hime and have some alone time.

* * *

 **Kazekage Tower**

* * *

 **Kazekage Office**

* * *

Gaara was going through the paperwork and was frustrated to no end. Ever since some idiot tried to show his sealing prowess with modifications to the sealing barrier and had disabled it. The council was in an uproar and every ten minutes some official would come and ask him about it and it was now getting frustrating. He had sent Naruto to deal with it, since he was the one who designed it from the ground up and he was supposed to report to him two hours ago but there was no sign of him and he wasn't with the barrier team either and he was dealing with those idiot councillors and paperwork and was almost considering killing the whining fool in front him with his sand.

"I'll send a message as soon as Naruto is done with the barrier repairs." He said calmly hiding his frustrations and the man smiled and left after thanking him and another knock came to the door and his eye twitched. If it was another man who was here to whine about the barrier who had nothing to do with the damn thing, then there will be blood.

"Come in." he said stoically and in walked Naruto and Temari as he saw his sister's hair opened and flowing and her lips were a bit swollen and turned to Naruto who apparently had some pink lipstick on his neck that he hadn't noticed but put it aside knowing what the two had been up to.

"Uzumaki you were supposed to report to me two hours ago after you left the barrier team. I have sent three ANBU teams for you but there has been no news…" he was cut off as the ANBU teams appeared in the office and bowed to him.

"Kazekage-sama looks like Naruto Uzumaki has left the village we couldn't find him anywhere." The leader said and his eye twitched as he pointed to the man standing in front of him who had an amused smile on his face while Temari was giggling. The ANBU smartly vanished the office as sand had appeared where they were a moment ago and he turned to Naruto who still had that infuriating smile on his face that made him restless.

"Where were you Uzumaki? I have been answering those damn council fools about it for the past two hours who apparently had nothing to do with this matter and you have apparently left the barrier team on time but are coming two hours late. So I ask again where were you?" he asked annoyed and Naruto put his finger on his chin in a thinking pose.

"Well let's see I was coming to you when I met hime and we caught up with each other since I had not been able to meet her last night…" he said calmly pointing to Temari making his eye twitch. " Then we went to get her fan from the weapons shop, then we got hungry and I made us some lunch and we ate and then… well we had some alone time." He finished making Temari blush as she traced her finger on her lip thinking of the make out session they had. Gaara's eye was twitching dangerously as he listened to his lame excuses for coming this late for a report.

"So you were doing all those things while you had to make an important report to me am I right?" he asked and Naruto nodded. "You do know that reporting to the Kage of the village after a mission is mandatory." He asked sarcastically making Naruto smile.

"So I've heard." He said non-chalantly making Gaara's fingers twitch and he had to control the urge to punch him with a sand fist but knew he would never catch him in time and he sighed pinching his nose in frustration as Temari giggled.

"Uzumaki I swear you'll be the death of me some day, so I assume the problem was fixed?" he asked hopefully and Naruto nodded with a smile making him sigh in relief as he turned to Temari for the important matter he had to discuss with her.

"Temari I'm sorry but there is a mission of negotiation I have that you won't like." He said and she looked at him confused.

"You will be coming with me to Konoha for the final negotiations on our peace treaty. You are the best negotiator we have and your knowledge in politics is unparalleled as shown in the previous two alliances." He said and her eyes widened as she turned furious and was about to retort when Naruto put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a smile and shook his head.

"Hime don't let your personal feelings come in between. What's in the past is done, plus it is only a one time deal right?" he asked Gaara who didn't answer making him raise an eyebrow and Temari's anger to rise.

"Well she has also been appointed as the liaison between Suna and Konoha for the upcoming joint chunin exams." He said and she looked at him incredulously.

"You can't be serious!" she shouted and he nodded sowing his firm resolve.

"It is the order of the council and your Kage, you cannot refuse this mission." He said and her eyes widened as she stormed off the office slamming the door behind her making him wince knowing he would pay for playing the rank card later and turned to Naruto who was looking at him with confusion.

"Gaara you shouldn't have forced her like that we could have convinced her peacefully." He said and Gaara shook his head.

"No, it was the only way. Any ways I wanted to take you as my personal bodyguard but we couldn't let you come to Konoha and at least one of us must stay in the village as we don't want it to appear too weak, though I trust you with my life the most my friend. So I'll be taking Kankuro instead and I hand over my military powers to you while the diplomatic powers are handed to the council. The whole council has agreed to my decision as well." He said and Naruto's eyes widened. To give him military control of a shinobi village was essentially naming him a temporary Kage and the whole council trusted him enough? Gaara saw his face and smiled a bit as he stood up and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Uzumaki we both know you have always been the stronger of the two of us and you have gained a lot of influence and resect in the council over the years with your contributions to the village by giving us your clan's seals and helping us forge alliances and your loyalty to me still remains unquestionable. Let's see how you do as a temporary Kazekage in my absence. I couldn't find a better person to hand the power of the village in my absence, you are my right hand and my brother in all but blood." He said and Naruto was stunned at the trust and acceptance the village and Gaara showed him and couldn't find the words for the situation that had arisen now. He couldn't comprehend the weight of the responsibility on his shoulders and his mind was spinning. Gaara squeezed his shoulder making him look at him and gave him a curt nod.

"Don't worry Uzumaki you are only in charge of the shinobi and the rest of the affairs will be handled by the council. It is only for a few days; I know you'll do fine. You have never disappointed me and I know you won't this time too. Now go and check on Temari I am worried about her." He said and Naruto nodded immediately forgetting all about the situation as his thoughts turned to his love and he rushed out of the office to find his hime.

" _He forgets all about the pressure of being a temporary Kage because Temari is troubled. That idiot never ceases to amaze me."_ he thought returning to the bane of his life – paperwork.

* * *

 _ **Author's notes : This was just a brief intro to what went on in Konoha in the time skip and will be explained further in future flashbacks. As for the end part about the council trusting Naruto and what skills he gained and his relationship will also be explained in the future chapters. This is just a bridge and an important point in the story. So if you like it and want to keep reading it press the review button and leave your suggestions and sorry for the delay but had been updating the other stories too. So until next time keep reading and reviewing Ja Ne ;)**_


	7. Chapter 7

**Naruto : Desert Flower**

* * *

 **Sunagakure no sato**

* * *

Naruto got out of the Kazekage Tower and started searching for Temari. He looked everywhere from the Sabaku estate to all the spots she hung out at and was now getting worried. He frantically searched for her everywhere as the sun was going down and now his heart was racing fast thinking something might have happened to her. He rocked his brain for where she might have gone off to when his brain suddenly clicked and he rushed to the cave where he took her for his first date and rushed there. He entered the cave and started looking around as he saw her there sleeping leaning against the tree with Kiara sleeping beside her and sighed in relief. He slowly walked up as Kiara heard footsteps and opened her eyes to see her summoner and he put his finger to his lips telling her to stay quiet and sat beside his princess. He gently put his hand beside her head and put it on his lap as she wrapped her arms around his waist and snuggled in his stomach in her sleep making him smile.

He saw the tear marks across her cheek and knew she had been crying as he ran his fingers through her hair and gently laid a kiss on top of her head and she smiled in her sleep and snuggled further. He kept rubbing her head for an hour as her eyes fluttered open and she saw that she was sleeping on something very comfortable and warm and knew what it was as she tried to get away by sitting up but Naruto pulled her to his lap and gripped her tightly burying his face in her neck as she struggled in his grip.

"Let me go!" she said angrily and he kissed her neck softly making her struggle a bit less and started laying kisses and licking her sensitive skin softly as her struggles ceased and she tilted her head sideways and pulled his head closer by his hair.

"Let me go ahh… Naru-kun!" she moaned and tried to resist half-heartedly and he smirked pulling her kimono sideways and bit her collarbone gently drawing a bit of blood as she gasped.

"Ahh Naru-kun…" she moaned in pleasure as he softly licked the mark clean of the bit of blood and laid soft kisses up her neck going to her ear as she pulled his head closer letting him have the access he needed and he gently kissed and licked her ear nibbling it softly getting another soft moan from her beautiful pink lips.

"I'm sorry hime." He whispered and buried his face in her neck taking in the scent of her hair and she smiled as he took her anger away and ran her fingers through his hair and closed her eyes as he held her tightly close to him.

"If you didn't agree with me at least don't agree with him." She whispered softly and he nodded and softly kissed her neck making her smile.

"I know hime but it was an order from the council, you would have had to do it either way so I tried to convince you. I wasn't going against you." He said softly and she smiled and nodded.

"I know I just got angry thinking of that stupid village and needed to vent my frustrations." She said and he nodded as she saw the state his clothes were in since she left him and was confused as to why they were in such bad shape.

"Why are your clothes that way Naru-kun?" she asked and he sighed tiredly in her neck.

"I was worried sick about you hime." He said with a sigh and she was confused as he continued." You ran away angry and I knew you were about to cry and that was why you ran away. I searched the village top to bottom for two hours and still didn't find you. I was scared something had happened to you." He whispered and tightened his hold on her making her gasp at her stupidity.

"This was the last place left and if you weren't here I would have torn this village apart top to bottom to find you." He whispered as she felt a tear on her neck and knew she shouldn't have run away like that. "Don't run away like that again." He whispered kissing her neck and she nodded.

"I'm sorry I was just too…" she said but was cut off as he pressed his lips on hers in a gentle kiss and gave her a smile. "I know." He said softly putting a lock of hair behind her ear and she smiled and nodded as he suddenly lifted her hand and kissed the back of it and looked at her curiously.

"Hime do you love me?" he asked and she was confused at the sudden question but answered nonetheless.

"More than you could ever know." She whispered softly rubbing his cheek as he leaned in to her touch making her smile.

"Do you trust me?" he asked and she answered whole heartedly.

"More than I trust myself." She whispered softly and a small smile lit up his face.

"Will you be with me?" he asked and she smiled.

"I'm already yours my ball of sunshine." She whispered and he smiled genuinely happy and suddenly slid a platinum ring in the shape of a nine tailed fox with a red ruby in its' eye in the third finger in her left hand and she gasped as she looked at him with tears in her eyes as he gazed at her lovingly.

"Then marry me." He whispered and she threw herself in his arms as he caught her in his arms and she cried in his chest. He smiled softly and rubbed her back gently trying to sooth the hysterically crying girl.

"And here I thought you would be happy for getting the ring." He said playfully and she giggled as she hit his chest lightly and grabbed his collar of the jacket and smiled. "Baka shut up and kiss me." She said and pulled him to her as she captured his lips and pushed her lips to his with all her might. She licked his bottom lip softly and he opened his mouth and she pushed her tongue in exploring his caverns completely and Naruto saw that she was trying to show what she felt and let her do what she wanted and gently massaged her tongue with his own and she moaned in the kiss as she put her hand on the back of his neck and pulled him close to her deepening the kiss. Naruto's eyes glazed as he had never felt her kiss him so passionately before and as she broke of he saw her tongue a bit red with blood and trace his finger on his lip seeing she had bitten him slightly and saw her panting gazing at him lovingly. She dove on again this time she caught his bottom bleeding lip in her own and sucked on it softly making him grunt in pleasure as she broke off after a couple of minutes as he brought her close and put her head on his chest and his chin on her head running his fingers in her hair as she sighed happily.

"Hime do you think I proposed a bit early?" he asked nervously after a few minutes of happy silence and she looked at him with an amused smile as she wrapped her arms around his neck and their faces were inches off as he tried to lean in but she would lean back equally making him growl as she giggled.

"Well that's a really interesting question after proposing me you know." She said playfully and he blushed in embarrassment as she giggled. "Why did you ask are you having any doubts?" she asked knowing that wasn't the reason and knew why he was asking it but wanted to hear it from him.

"No it isn't that but you know Kankuro told me that in a relationship first the couple you know…" he trailed off blushing and she giggled at his shyness.

"Have sex?" she asked playfully and he blushed and stuttered a 'Hai' making her giggle.

"Well when have we been a normal couple? You had an extreme make out session and gave me the best first kiss a girl could ever ask for and asked me to be your girlfriend before you took me to my first date that was equally as romantic as I could hope for where I told you that I wanted to have a family and spend my life with you. So I guess three years of dating and proposing without having sex is not that unusual and sex isn't the only thing in a relationship love, our bond is the strongest thing we need" she said softly and he nodded seeing her point as she continued. "And we could you know have sex if you want, I have already told you I'll let you have me anytime you want. So want to do it now?" she asked playfully and giggled as he turned bright red and pecked him rubbing his whiskers softly.

"You are too innocent for your own good Naru-kun and way too easy to tease." She said giggling and he smiled as he kissed her lips softly and sensually laid kisses on her jawline and the sensitive areas of her neck and nibbled her ear softly earning a soft moan from her.

"Still think I'm too innocent?" he asked huskily and shivers ran down her spine as he pinned her to the ground with one of his knee on her thigh to raise it up and his hands holding her wrists as he looked at her dishevelled hair and kimono and the way her fishnets were giving a view of her drenched panties. He lowered his head to her ear and whispered.

"You're already this wet Mari-chan, you really are a naughty lily of the desert aren't you?" he whispered and she moaned as he kissed her ear softly and rose up gazing at her vulnerable position lovingly and she wriggled her wrists knowing he won't go any further as he let her go and she brought him in a hug and held him tightly as she cried and he was worried.

"What happened Hime, did I hurt you?" he asked concerned and she cried harder as he turned her around so she laid on his chest and hugged her tightly rubbing her back gently.

"Shh what's wrong?" he whispered softly as she looked at him sobbing.

"I know you only hold back because of that thing I told you one year ago don't you?" she asked in a sob and he smiled as his mind went to that night of the festival in the village.

* * *

 **(Flashback)**

* * *

Naruto and Temari were sitting on the roof of the Sabaku estate as they had just returned from the annual festival in the village and were sitting there cuddling in their traditional kimonos looking at the fireworks.

"Naru-kun?" she whispered and he looked at her kissing her head softly.

"Yes hime?" he asked and she looked at the fireworks as she spoke.

"You know I always had a dream that I haven't told to anyone." She whispered and he looked at her curiously.

"What is that Hime?" he asked softly as he put her head on his chest and sat her on his lap as they sat in the shower of fireworks.

"I've always wanted to get married to a man that would love me as my brothers would give me away to the love of my life and we will have that special night that I have waited for on our honeymoon." She whispered and he smiled as he imagined her dream with him being the groom.

"That's a beautiful dream Hime." He whispered softly and she nodded as he kissed her on her lips cupping her face as the last of the fireworks went off and they got lost in the moment.

* * *

 **(End of Flashback)**

* * *

He cupped her face kissing her tears away and smiled at the lovely crying girl.

"Look at me love." He whispered and she caught his loving gaze that made her heart warm and she smiled a bit still sobbing.

"You know that I love you right?" he asked and she nodded as he rubbed her nose with the sleeve of his jacket making her giggle. "Do you know why I gave you that ring tonight instead of a special date I had planned?" he asked and she shook her head and was surprised that he had a special date planned for her but it was just like her cute baka to do something like that.

"This ring…" he said kissing her finger and the ring as he looked at her. "… is a promise." He said and she tilted her head to the side cutely and he smiled as he pecked her lips.

"That ring contains my **Hiraishin** marker, the fastest and the most sophisticated one I have ever created. It took me a year to finish engraving such a complex seal in such a small ring. Just channel a bit of your chakra in it and I'll be there in a flash to get you. It also acts as a beacon due to the little Demonic Chakra I have put in the diamond thus it has turned into a blood red colour and lets me know where you are at all times so that you don't run off on me again and it has blood seals so no one can remove it from you other than me or you and force you to remove it if you are in trouble. As long as you have that ring I'm always with you. That ring is the pinnacle that I have achieved with my sealing. My masterpiece that I created for my hime, no one has ever come close to putting so many complex seals and synchronising them perfectly in such a small object before. As long as that ring is with you we are one." He said softly and her eyes widened as she pulled out the ring and gazed at the seals engrave so finely and lightly that they weren't visible if she didn't look closely and saw what the ring meant to him, it wasn't a piece of expensive jewellery it was a promise as to how much he loved her. He put his hand on the ring and slid it back as he cupped her cheek and brushed it softly.

"Sex doesn't matter to me Hime. I'll die a virgin if it means having you in my arms." He whispered and she threw herself in his arms and cried whispering 'I love you' again and again. He sat up and channelled a bit of chakra to his palm as a bit of moisture from the air came to his hand making it wet and he wiped her face and cleaned it away of her tear stains and she pouted like a child making him smile.

"Let's go home hime and I'll make you dinner alright?" he asked and she nodded as she walked a couple of steps when he suddenly swept her legs and caught her in his arms making her squeal in glee as she wrapped her arms around his neck and snuggled in his chest.

"I never said you'll be walking home." He said playfully and she giggled.

"You spoil me too much." She said playfully and he smiled as he pecked her softly.

"My princess deserves the best." He said and she giggled.

"Charmer, don't use flattery I'm already your fiancée now." She said and he chuckled.

"Hey fiancée does have a sexy feel to it you know." He said and she laughed hitting him in the chest as he jumped up on a branch.

"Wife has a much sexier feel you know." She whispered softly and he nodded as he kissed her forehead gently.

"It does Hime, and you'll be called that soon if I have anything to say about it." He said softly and she smiled and nodded as he jumped through the roof with her in his arms at blinding speeds and she squealed happily as the air hit the both of them and they laughed happily as the people saw the blonde blurs and smiled knowing the happiest and most mischievous as well as popular couple in the village. The whole village knew the story of an unknown ninja who came to the village becoming the right hand of the Kazekage and stealing the heart of the princess of the village and melting the Ice princess's heart to only him. He walked into the Sabaku compounds and put her down as they walked in happily to the house and to the dining room to see Kankuro and Gaara sitting there and Gaara gazed at her curiously as he saw she didn't even spare him a glance as Naruto sat on the table and sat her on his lap as both giggled and whispered making small talk to each other out of their earshot and he coughed a bit getting their attention.

"Temari for what it's worth I don't want this any more than you do and I'm sorry but we have to think of the village…" he said and was cut off as she spoke up. "It's alright Gaara I understand." She chirped happily and he rose an eyebrow as both he and Kankuro glanced at each other knowing something was up if she forgave him so easily even if Naruto had talked to her.

"Are we missing something guys?" asked Kankuro and Temari smiled as she glanced at Naruto who nodded kissing her cheek and she put her hand on his cheek as both of their cheeks touched and they looked at them happily. Temari raised up her hand and showed them the finger with the ring as their eyes widened and jaws dropped to the ground and she giggled at seeing their reactions.

"Guys I'm engaged to my blonde teddy here." She said softly pecking his cheek and he smiled as he put his head on her shoulder and held her tightly. A moment later Gaara broke out of his stupor and smiled brightly nodding.

"I'm happy and approve this engagement whole heartedly and I'm sure the village will love to see their favourite couple get together." He said and she smiled and nodded as she turned to Kankuro who was rooted and absolutely still and Gaara shook him as he looked at him like a robot.

"Huh?" he replied intelligently as his brain fried from the overload of the news and he fainted and Temari and Naruto laughed whole heartedly and Gaara shook his head face palming.

"Great you broke him." He said and they laughed harder as Gaara turned to Naruto and motioned for him to stand up and they stood in front of each other as his face turned serious and he gazed into his eyes.

"Naruto Uzumaki I trust you to keep my sister happy or friend or not I will crush you with my sand." He said as Temari blushed in embarrassment and Naruto chuckled.

"Don't worry Gaara you know how much I love her." He said and Gaara nodded and smiled at his honest answer and raised his hand and Naruto shook it showing the faith Gaara put in him. He walked into the kitchen as he started to prepare the dinner when suddenly Temari wrapped her arms from behind him and hugged him tightly making him smile. He brought her hand up and kissed it softly as he asked.

"You want something special for tonight's dinner Mari-chan?" he asked and she nodded with her face in his back and he smiled.

"It wouldn't happen to be one of the cinnamon apple pie or the chocolate truffle cake that I've just put in the oven now would it?" he asked playfully and she turned him around and glared at him.

"Are you trying to make me fat mister?" she asked in mock anger and he smiled as he pushed her against the counter and sat her on it as he held her when she wrapped her legs around him and he smiled as he rubbed her stomach.

"Now a fat and chubby Mari-chan will look so cute of course I'm trying to make you fat. After all, then I can have more of my Hime to kiss you know." He said playfully and she wrapped her arms around his neck and put her forehead against his giggling.

"Flatterer I know you always know how to get away with me. You are the only one who could say he wants me fat and live without being slashed by Kamatari." She said and he chuckled as he rubbed her stomach softly and she blushed a bit feeling warm and wanted him to go a bit down in her spread legs. He leaned to her ear as he whispered.

"Not yet Hime." He said huskily and she blushed a scarlet at his amused smile thinking how he read her mind when he ran his hand up her thigh massaging it and slowly got on the inside of it and near her panties as her breath hitched and she moaned when suddenly he stopped and pulled back and pecked her, moving back to the oven leaving her blushing and wet chuckling as she grinded her teeth at his teasing and pranking but melted when he showed her the two pans in his hands with the deserts and her mouth watered as she moved forward with a spoon and plate and he held it back making her glare.

"Payment for the chef first Hime." He said and she pouted as she pressed her lips to his fully and sucked his bottom lip softly and took the pan from his hand and cut herself a big slice with the knife and smiled as Naruto wrapped his arms from behind her and put his chin on her shoulder.

"Won't my Hime share it with her fiancée?" he asked in mock hurt and she giggled.

"Alright but get the rest of the dinner and we'll share it, but Kankuro gets no desert." She said and he chuckled as Kankuro yelled about being unfair from the dining room. They ate and laughed as they talked and Kankuro and Gaara smiled at the way their faces were glowing with happiness and how their family was growing. After a great fight between Kankuro and Temari on desert before she bashed his head with her fan and ate it with Naruto while Naruto secretly passed a share to Gaara who took it gratefully we find our couple in their room with Naruto in his shirt and boxers and Temari over him kissing him passionately in just a pink T-shirt and white panties as he had one hand on her waist and one buried in her hair. She took out her tongue from his mouth as both panted and had their lips swollen from the long make out session as she lied completely pressed on Naruto. She breathed heavily listening to his heartbeat as she felt his hard member near her thighs and grabbed it as Naruto grunted in pleasure when she rubbed her hand over it and Naruto caught her wrist as she looked at him biting her lip knowing how much he was holding himself back.

"Why are you holding so much back Naru-kun? I can take care of it and we won't go all the way you know." She said desperately and he smiled and shook his head as he brought her hand up and pecked her softly.

"Because Hime I'm not sure if I would be able to stop if we get going. You are too beautiful and our little fun session make me hard to control as it is." He said and she blushed.

"Then don't stop…" she started as he pressed his lips on hers and smiled.

"Hime stop it, I told you that it's not about sex and I know that isn't the matter so what are you afraid of?" he asked softly rubbing her cheek as she bit her lip and averted her gaze as he pulled her face back to him and caught her gaze piercing her to the soul with his stern gaze.

"I-I'm scared." She whispered and he was confused as she continued. "What if some other girl in the village comes onto you and y-you t-then I-I…" she said as she broke down and he hugged her close and rubbed her back softly.

"Hime have I ever even looked at any girl that way except you?" he asked softly and she shook her head sobbing.

"And I never will." He said as she looked up listening to his confident voice and the power those eyes held.

"Even if you don't want to be with me there is no other…" he said as she pressed her lips on his cutting him off and cried in the kiss but didn't let go. He hugged her and rubbed her back softly.

"I will never leave you. You're the only one for me." She said with a sniff and he smiled.

"And you're the only for me Hime." He whispered making her smile.

"Now sleep tomorrow you have to leave early and travel to the leaf so rest now." He said softly kissing the top of her head as she fell asleep in his arms lulling to his heartbeat and cuddled up to him as he held her close and slept with one thought in his mind.

" _You really don't understand how much you mean to me Hime. I love you with my life."_ He thought as sleep claimed him and he spent the last night together with her before she left.

* * *

 **Next Morning**

* * *

Naruto opened his eyes as the light hit his eyes and saw his princess lying on his chest and her silky hair flowing wildly and smiled as he shook her a bit and she moaned.

"Naru-kun deeper…" she moaned and he blushed at her words and shook her more before he heard some more moans and lost his control making her dream a reality. She woke up and looked up at his eyes and blushed as she realized it was only a dream and was surprised as Naruto chuckled.

"Was I any good Hime?" he asked and she blushed a scarlet turning into a tomato and he laughed as she hit him with her pillow saying 'Pervert'. He stopped her and pulled her in for a chaste kiss as she moaned and looked at him lovingly.

"Morning Mari-chan." He whispered and she smiled and nodded.

"Morning Naru-kun." She whispered and he kissed her head as she sighed happily. He sat up as she cuddled in his lap and he hugged her close to him.

"So today's the day you go to the leaf." He said and she nodded not liking the fact one bit.

"Want to take a bath together?" he asked and she smiled as she looked up pressing her lips to his and nodded with a blush on her face. He filled up the bath tub and stepped in the water wearing his swimming trunks as she entered the bathroom and dropped the towel she was wearing to reveal a white bikini and blushed a pretty pink as she stepped in the water and sat with her back to his chest as he wrapped his arms around her naked stomach and she melted in his arms and the warm water taking off her tiredness. He kissed her neck softly licking and grazing his teeth on her skin and she moaned softly as she grabbed his neck from behind and tilted her head letting him do what he wanted. He stopped as he brought the hand shower over them and she turned around tracing her hands on his ripped muscles and he traced his hands on her hour glass figure as both made out heavily and walked out with smiles and blushes on their faces. She still couldn't believe how he could just resist taking her to bed every time they made out and stopped just as he started to give in to the lust just because he wanted her to let her have her dream. She gazed back as she saw him wearing his pants and was looking for his shirt when she hugged him from behind surprising him and he turned around as she buried her head in his naked chest and traced her soft hands over his toned and non-buffy chest and he held her not understanding what had gotten into her.

"I love you." She whispered and he smiled brushing her slightly wet hair with his fingers and kissed her top of the head.

"I love you too hime." He whispered and she smiled as she pecked him and got off to dry her hair and get ready with the equipment as he did the same.

"So why aren't you coming with us, I mean Gaara trusts you the most and I thought you would be his choice even if we were going to Konoha, he could have gotten you an ANBU mask." She asked as she brushed her hair and was tying it.

"Oh Gaara didn't want to leave the village weak and unguarded with him gone so he handed over the military power of the village to me after the council agreed on it." He said simply and she turned around stunned and narrowed her eyes at his back as he was checking his equipment not noticing her ire.

"And why didn't you tell me this earlier?" she asked neutrally though was getting angry that he hid such a big fact from her.

"Oh Gaara told me after you left the office yesterday and I was so worried about you that it slipped my mind. Then we had our moments and I forgot." He said chuckling sheepishly and she smiled shaking her head at the idiot blonde.

" _That baka forgot that he was almost a Kage because he was worried about me? He really is an idiot, but he is my idiot."_ she thought fondly smiling as Naruto came behind her and helped her tie her sash on her waist and kissed her neck softly.

"So what are you smiling about hime?" he asked and she smiled turning around in his arms and looked at him lovingly.

"Oh nothing just a baka that I love so much." She said playfully and he chuckled.

"Then I wouldn't know him now would I?" he asked equally playfully making her giggle.

"No you wouldn't." she said as she pressed her lips on his as he tasted her vanilla flavoured lip gloss, the only make up she wore and smiled as he nibbled her ear making her moan.

"You taste absolutely delicious." He whispered making her blush as she punched his chest and muttered baka completely embarrassed making him chuckle as they got down to see Gaara waiting downstairs with Kankuro all ready to leave.

"Let's go." He said and they nodded as they walked out moving slowly to the gates walking as Temari was wrapped up around his arm as he had his arm wrapped around her waist and her head on his shoulder drawing many stares from the villagers as they went on without a care in the world. They reached the gates as the couple raised an eyebrow to see the council, the ANBU commander and the jounin commander there waiting for them but figured that they were there to see Gaara off and smiled at them who nodded back. Temari let him go as she stood beside her brothers and gazed at Naruto sadly not wanting to leave. Naruto saw her expression and walked up as a crowd of shinobi of all ranks built up to see the important figures of the village standing there. Naruto saw her expression and walked up to her confusing everyone greatly as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her passionately causing all of them to blush and look away as he broke off to see a blushing Temari but she was smiling not embarrassed at the public affection and her eyes locked on her lover. He raised her left hand and kissed the finger with the ring and gazed at her giving her a signal to the ring as he whispered softly in her ear.

"Remember if you ever need me, I'll be there in a flash the village be damned." He whispered and she blushed kissing his cheek and nodded with a smile. Gaara coughed drawing his attention as Chiyo and Ebizo walked up to him and he nodded his head in respect and they smiled fondly at the boy they loved so much.

"Honourable elders if you would do the honours." Said Gaara respectfully and Naruto was confused as he gazed at them and his and everyone's eyes widened as they took out a Kage hat with the kanji for Wind on it and Temari put her hands on her mouth in shock as every shinobi's eyes widened in shock.

"Naruto Uzumaki, Gaara no Sabaku has named you his temporary replacement until the time he, the Godaime Kazekage returns. Do you accept to protect this village in his stead with your life?" She said seriously and he was stunned as he answered unconsciously.

"H-Hai." He stuttered and she smiled as she put the hat over his head and his jacket flowed in the wind as all the shinobi kneeled down and Ebizo spoke up.

"Then we name you the Kazekage of Sunagakure no sato until Godaime-dono returns. All say for Lord Kazekage" He said and they all shouted in unison.

"Kazekage-sama!" said all the shinobi and his eyes watered as he saw Temari trying to kneel down and caught her shoulders as she looked at him confused.

"No you are my partner in everything, never bow to me even if I'm the Kazekage for now hime. Neither should anyone of you please stand respect is earned not forced. Kneel when I do something truly honourable for this village." He said softly and her eyes watered as she nodded and all shinobi smiled as their respect for their temporary Kage increased tenfold. She kissed him and whispered in his ear.

"Looks like your old dream came true Naru-kun, but the kanji is wind instead of fire." She whispered and he nodded as she stepped back with her brothers and looked at her love standing in front of the shinobi forces like a commander and couldn't be happier as she saw his hat shadow his upper half of the face and the way his jacket flowed and the confidence with which he stood, while the shinobi looked at him in admiration making her smile. He really was a born leader. Gaara and Kankuro too had similar thoughts as Gaara spoke up.

"Take care of the village in my stead Kazekage-dono." He said and Naruto smiled and nodded.

"Don't worry no harm will come to it as long as I breathe, I give you my word Gaara-dono." He said and Gaara nodded with a smile.

"The Wind hat looks better on you that the fire one blondie." Kankuro said making them all chuckle while Temari bashed his head in.

"He's the Kazekage you idiot, show him some respect." She hissed as they all laughed harder as Kankuro cried and she reprimanded him and Naruto gave her a kiss hiding her face beneath his hat making them all narrow their eyes trying to peep in.

"Take care of yourself hime and call me if you need anything." He said and she nodded pressing her lips on his one last time as they left and waved back at the new Kazekage and got lost in winds of the desert out of their view.

* * *

 _ **Author's notes : There is the next chapter. Hope you like it and now let's see what goes on as Gaara goes to the hidden leaf village for the talks on the alliance and what troubles await our new Kazekage in his temporary tenure until Gaara returns. There will be many twists in the plot like this one and I love to keep the readers on their toes. So if you like it and want to keep reading it leave your comments and reviews now. Until next time keep reading and reviewing. Ja Ne ;)**_


	8. Chapter 8

**Naruto : Desert Flower**

* * *

 **Timeskip Three Days later**

* * *

 **Konohagakure no sato**

* * *

The three-man squad from Suna came up to the gates of the village after three days of travelling and walked to the village hidden in the leaves. They saw Tsunade there standing with a team of ANBU behind her waiting for them. They stopped in front of them as Tsunade smiled at the three who gazed at her neutrally.

"Welcome Kazekage-dono it has been a while. I hope the trip was peaceful?" she asked and he nodded.

"It was fine Hokage-dono and indeed it has been a long time." He said and she nodded as they walked towards the Hokage Tower and watched the villagers go about as it was still early in the morning.

"Well would you like to rest at the Leaf Dragon for today and start the talks tomorrow Kazekage-dono?" asked Tsunade politely and he shook his head.

"No we are well rested from the previous night and the whole day is free. Plus, I want to get back to the village as soon as I could." He said and Tsunade was confused as to the hurry and saw Temari too wanted to return if what her face told her was anything to go by.

" _Plus I know that idiot will do something reckless in my place. He is a trouble magnet after all and the more time he has the more paperwork I'll get for fixing his troubles."_ He thought and sighed but smiled thinking of his brother in all but blood.

"So Temari you must want to meet your friends after all this time. I remember you making a lot of them when you acted as our liaison for the first year." She said with a smile and Temari showed no signs of happiness.

"No, not really." She said and now Tsunade was getting a bit confused at the tense environment building up and decided to make the rest of the trip in silence.

* * *

 **Hokage Tower**

* * *

 **Hokage Office**

* * *

They walked into the Hokage office as Gaara and Temari took a seat in front of Tsunade and Kankuro stood at their backs on the ready for any attacks. Tsunade saw it and smiled at his professionalism even amongst allies. Suddenly the door to the office opened and in walked the people she wanted the last to be seen and cursed them to hell but offered them a seat beside her as the esteemed elders of the council sat beside her. Koharu gave them a grandmotherly smile as they remained neutral.

"Welcome Kazekage-dono I was thinking that we might discuss some of the finer points of our alliance before we go to the council chambers so we can save some precious time." She said and Gaara nodded not seeing any harm and knew the huge council of the leaf wasted a lot of time in discussions.

"Kazekage-dono first I must say the leaf really appraises your new found quality of sealing equipment and the new and strong way that you hold the village so strongly in front of the world under your reign. For a newly appointed Kazekage and one such young as you it truly is impressive." Said Homura and Temari and Gaara saw where this was going and he decided to entertain them a bit.

"Yes well I found a new found prodigy that Temari one day brought in and he joined our village since he had training in the shinobi arts but wasn't allied to any village so I let him join. He already possessed the skills of a chunin and quickly went up the ranks gaining a lot of respect and influence in the village. He is my most trusted shinobi and I can safely say in a battle he would best even me and is a dear friend of mine and very close to my family. He is a true prodigy in the art of sealing and has provided us with various new seals and modified our existing ones to beyond the skills of perfection. As of this moment as I speak I have named him my temporary replacement until I return to the village with the complete backing of the Suna council." He said and all of their eyes widened at finding such a diamond being found roaming around and then becoming such a strong shinobi to the point of him trusting the boy so much that he made him the temporary Kage in his stead. The boy must have undying loyalty as well as a true prodigy they mused.

"Who is this shinobi you speak so highly of Kazekage-dono? He must be something special to do so much for the village in such little time." asked Danzo a bit too curiously making his eyes narrow at the crippled coot.

" _Oh he's something alright."_ Thought Temari with a blush as she traced the ring on her finger happily. Tsunade caught her blush and her eyebrows rose in surprise.

" _Well well, looks like the Desert Princess has a crush on this mysterious shinobi. That certainly would make the talks… interesting."_ She thought with a smirk and turned to Gaara as they waited for his answer.

"I don't see this as being important to the talks of the alliance, I guess we are getting off track." He said stoically making the elders scowl while Tsunade smirked at his skillful dodging of the questions knowing how much this boy intrigued those coots and how Gaara was taking her revenge on them. As Koharu was about to get some more information on him but Tsunade cut her off.

"You're right Kazekage-dono let's get on with the talks." She said with a smile making them all smile and the elders to scowl.

"Kazekage-dono our villages have been old comrades in arms and the invasion was just a ploy on our common enemies plot so we hold no grudges…" started Homura and Gaara nodded gratefully that his father's mistakes were forgotten and they were willing to move on. "… so we have found a really nice and old custom used for holding strong and stable alliances that has been with us for generations now." He finished and Gaara looked at him curiously motioning for them to go on.

"A political marriage." Danzo said as Gaara thought about it for a moment and Temari too knew that it had been done in the past several times to strengthen ties. Her father too had told her that one day she might have to go through with it but luckily she found her blonde haired idiot she thought fondly.

"Yes I can see the point in that though there must be people of great importance from both sides and I don't think that a girl from the leaf will be willing to settle down with me so I guess that I wasn't your choice." He asked and they all nodded at his assessment and he nodded back.

"Well then who did you have in mind?" he asked and the elders all nodded to Tsunade who sighed as she flared her chakra and an ANBU appeared with Sasuke coming behind him and stood behind them smiling smugly. Gaara raised an eyebrow to Tsunade who just gave him an apologetic glance and he was confused as to why he was called in the middle of such an important talk.

"I'm sorry but I thought we were having important political talks so why have you allowed him here?" he asked pointing to the Uchiha who had that arrogant smirk on his face.

"Well Kazekage-dono as I'm sure you already know this is Sasuke Uchiha, the most promising upcoming jounin we have and the last Uchiha of our village." Said Koharu with pride and he raised an eyebrow at Tsunade.

"He is your most promising upcoming jounin Hokage-dono?" he asked apprehensively and Sasuke's smirk died down a bit.

"Why is there something wrong with that?" he asked rudely and Gaara gave him a stern glare making him shiver from the bloodlust in his eyes as he turned to Tsunade and gave her a stern look.

"I would suggest you teach your most promising upcoming jounin the manners to talk to the Kazekage of the Sand and remind him, he may be the last Uchiha but I am the Kazekage and he must remember the ranks carefully." He said and she nodded apologetically and turned to the arrogant Uchiha with a glare.

"Sasuke Uchiha mind your place and do not forget who you are talking to. Do not speak unless you are spoken to. Am I clear?" she asked coldly and he nodded with a grunt and she turned back to Gaara.

"I apologize for his behaviour; I assure you he didn't mean anything by it." She said politely and Gaara nodded with a small smile.

"Looks like the standard of your village's elites have fallen Hokage-dono, to think he is your most promising jounin." He said and she said nothing knowing Sasuke wasn't the strongest and if her blonde Gaki was here he would have kicked his ass to Iwa and back, though let the thought slide as she didn't want to show her sadness of losing him to them.

"Why does your village have anyone better than me, an Uchiha and born elite at my age?" he asked smugly and Tsunade glared at him but Gaara answered before she could say anything.

"Actually yes Uchiha-san we do, our most promising jounin is stronger than I am and is so respected and looked up to in our village that he is currently acting as the Kazekage in the village in my stead until I return." He said and Sasuke ground his teeth at the humiliation he felt at being outdone while Temari and Kankuro smiled proudly.

"Really this young shinobi is so young Kazekage-dono?" asked Danzo trying to get some more information and just got a nod of confirmation making him scowl that he wasn't giving away anything else.

"So coming back to the talks Kazekage-dono we propose a marriage with Sasuke as the groom from our village seeing his talents and bloodline as well as the respect and influence he holds from our village. Plus, he is the personal apprentice to our elite jounin Kakashi Hatake the copy ninja." Said Koharu and he raised an eyebrow at her.

"So I suppose we are supposed to send a bride I guess since he wants to rebuild his clan if I know him right, unless…" he let the thought hanging as Tsunade and Temari giggled while Kankuro coughed from behind though it sounded more like laughter. Sasuke clenched his fists and fumed and seethed on the inside at the insults he was getting.

"I'm not gay." He said in a low growl and Gaara nodded.

"Yes of course so I guess you have already have had a bride from our side in mind unless you want me to go through some files?" he asked and they smiled shaking their heads and Sasuke glanced at Temari who didn't spare him a glance making him scowl.

"No there I no need for that Kazekage-dono we have already thought of it and Sasuke too has agreed to the choice and likes her very much." Said Koharu and he nodded motioning for her to go on.

"We have decided for a marriage with a complete alliance between Sasuke Uchiha of the leaf and Temari no Sabaku of the Sand." She said as their eyes widened and Gaara was shocked at their choice while Temari clutched her fists in anger and barely controlled slapping the Uchiha to take his dirty glance of her that he was giving her making her growl.

"She is directly related to you as well as the Yondaime Kazekage and is one of your top kunoichi. Both have high standings in our villages and will help solidify a great alliance…" she was cut off as Gaara raised his hand.

"I'm afraid that won't be possible so I suggest you think of something else." He said stoically as Temari didn't say anything from the anger she felt at their disgusting proposal for an alliance.

"What but how could you refuse such a great proposal Kazekage-dono? We have offered the hand of such a great shinobi and the last of our noble clans. And he too wants a strong kunoichi like her in marriage then what's the problem?" cried Homura in disbelief at the direct rejection and Temari spoke up in a low voice.

"It's because I'm already engaged." She said and their eyes widened as she showed them the ring and turned to Gaara who nodded though Tsunade narrowed her eyes at the peculiar design of the ring though said nothing as she recognized the design.

"Surely it could be reconsidered I mean it's only an engagement and for the good of the village's relations it could be broken off. I mean Sasuke is an eligible candidate too you know." Said Koharu and she ground her teeth at their proposal and Tsunade too was growing irritated at their hunger for power now. Gaara was a waiting volcano about to erupt as he spoke calmly bottling up his emotions and the bloodlust he felt at the Uchiha eyeing his sister hungrily.

"Give me a day to consider it and let us talk about it, we shall continue this tomorrow. I am tired now and will take the council meeting tomorrow." He said trying to end the meeting before he blew up and went Shukaku on the village and they nodded with smiles plastered on their faces. There was no way he could refuse the precious Uchiha in marriage they thought.

"Yes of course take all the time you need Kazekage-dono we shall continue this tomorrow." Said Tsunade and he nodded as he and Temari got up and walked out of the office. They walked through the village in silence and reached the hotel. As soon as the door to the room behind them closed Temari swung her fan at Gaara as his automatic sand defence stopped her attack and he turned around seeing her furious face.

"You think I'll break of my engagement with my Naru-kun to marry that bastard Uchiha. I'll beat you and that arrogant bastard to Suna and I can't even imagine what Naru-kun would do after he hears you are considering that disgusting plan." She hissed in anger and he clutched the fan with his sand and pulled it off her grip making her growl as he spoke up.

"I'm not considering anything. You will not be married to anyone but Uzumaki as long as I breathe." He spoke stoically and her anger died down as she looked at him surprised.

"Then why did you tell them you would consider it and not outright refuse them?" she asked in confusion and he sighed pinching the bridge of his nose. He had no idea how Naruto kept her so controlled while she was so impulsive without him and that was what made the proposal all the more stupid to him.

"Outright rejecting such a great proposal without even considering it sends a wrong message to them…" he said and she was about to retort as he cut her off. "And if I had stayed five more minutes with that bastard eyeing you like that there would have been only one Uchiha left alive in the elemental nations. And trust me he isn't loyal to the leaf right now." He said and she saw the bloodlust and killing intent at the way he said the last thought and smiled as her anger died down and she hugged her baby brother and he hugged her bad awkwardly still a bit uncomfortable with intimate contact.

"Thank you Gaara you are a good little brother." She said happily and he nodded with a smile as they sat on the bed and Kankuro spoke up.

"They are pretty interested in our blonde gaki." He said and Temari giggled as Gaara nodded with a smile.

"So what do you think he must be doing right now?" he asked and Temari smiled sadly as she missed his hugs and kisses already and wanted to hold him to her though Gaara smiled.

"I bet he must be having fun taking care of all the paperwork for me and cursing me for giving him the hat for a few days." He said as in Suna a certain sleeping blonde sneezed as he saw his shadow clones doing piles of paperwork that would have taken Gaara a week to do.

"Huh I guess hime must be missing me." He thought and went back to sleep. Gaara suddenly got the impulse to kill Uzumaki though he didn't get why and pushed the thought away.

"I bet he must be missing having his princess to kiss and lick." Said Kankuro teasingly and Temari blushed as she bonked his head making him yelp saying 'Pervert'. Though she did want to have a make out session with him and traced her ring finger fondly.

* * *

 **Meanwhile in a cave in River Country…**

* * *

Nine figures stood atop the fingers of the statue of Gedo Mazo as two of them were real while seven of them were mere projections.

"Sasori what news have you got on the Sand?" asked a man with purple eyes and concentric rings in his eyes to a man with a hunched back and a mechanical tail.

"The sand has upgraded its defence really heavily and it has been pretty difficult to get in touch with my informant on the inside." He said and the man with the strange eyes narrowed his eyes at him as he continued. "Though he did manage to create a hole in the barrier a few days ago for a short while before it was repaired and I was able to get a little important information out of it." He said and all of them nodded waiting for him to continue.

"I was told that the Ichibi jinchuriki is gone to the leaf for a few days for talks with the Hokage on the alliance between them leaving the Kyuubi jinchuriki alone in the village." He said and the leader nodded.

"That is great news and will help in the capture of the Kyuubi jinchuriki now." He said and Kisame voiced his question.

"Hey wouldn't it be easier to capture the one tails now that he is alone?" asked Kisame impatiently as Itachi sighed at his impulsive partner.

"Kisame with him being outside the village he can battle without any restrictions and will be difficult to capture alive if he releases his bijuu. The Kyuubi jinchuriki is alone in the village without the Kazekage to back him up and we can provide plenty of distractions with the civilians allowing for an easy capture and then the Ichibi will be left alone making it easier to catch him in the future." He said and the shark man nodded.

"Yeah when you put it like that it makes sense Itachi-san." He said sheepishly and the leader sighed.

"That was very astute of you Itachi and you are correct in your assessment of the situation. Plus, extracting the Kyuubi will take a lot of time making him capture with the Ichibi and holding down the Ichibi for the time being difficult so we will take this chance." He said and they all nodded as he turned to Sasori.

"Sasori do you have an estimation of his skills?" he asked and Sasori nodded.

"I wasn't able to get much since I had little time and most of his files were kept classified but he is a jounin in the village. He had Wind and Water as his primary dual affinities that he showed mastery over to pass the jounin exams and has good taijutsu skills. His genjutsu skills weren't mentioned but it is safe to say he could only dispel them being a jinchuriki with high reserves." He said and the leader nodded as Itachi spoke up.

"Then it would be good if Deidara and Sasori went to capture him." He said and the leader looked at him curiously knowing his calculative instincts were always spot on. "Why is that Itachi why not you and Kisame?" he asked and Itachi looked at him stoically.

"Kisame uses Water jutsu making it difficult for him to fight in the desert and he has good taijutsu skills so it is safe to say he can hold out against his Samehada without using ninjutsu as he knows its specialty. I am a primary genjutsu user with good skills in other fields but am not a powerhouse that can provide enough distractions. Deidara with his explosion release can create nice distractions and can counter his Wind affinity with his blasts and his water jutsu too would be weak in the Desert so that isn't a problem with so less water sources to use. Both are long range fighters making his taijutsu skills useless and are the closest to the village at this moment of time. Plus, Sasori can keep a level head and attack as Deidara brings the distraction as we all know his elegant skills." He finished and everyone looked at him amazed at his perfect deductions.

"Excellently put Itachi your deductions are spot on. Deidara, Sasori travel to the Sand and retrieve the Kyuubi jinchuriki. We shall start with the weakest village and the strongest of the bijuu." He said and Sasori nodded.

"It shall be done." Said Sasori calmly.

"Yeah we'll bring him here alive hm." Said Deidara enthusiastically making the leader sigh at the idiot.

"Don't get overconfident he is a jinchuriki of the nine tails after all." Said the leader as Kisame laughed.

"Oh come on he wore an orange jumpsuit and only knew shadow clones when I last saw him. How tough could he have gotten in three years? I bet even Deidara alone can take him down with his stupid clay toys." He said as Deidara fumed.

"Hey don't disrespect my art hm. After all Art is an Explosion!" he shouted making a small blast in the cave making the leader sigh at their antics.

"Art is eternal not something that disappears in but a moment like my art." Said Sasori as Deidara was about to respond when the leader but in.

"Alright that's enough don't waste any more time go and retrieve the Kyuubi jinchuriki and we'll prepare for the extraction in the meantime." He said and they all nodded as seven figures vanished and Sasori and Deidara walked towards the Sand village leaving the cave behind them.

* * *

 **Next Morning**

* * *

 **Konohagakure no sato**

* * *

 **Leaf Dragon Hotel**

* * *

Temari woke up with a yawn as she rubbed her eyes and clutched the pillow to her tightly missing her blonde haired pillow she left in Suna and wanted to go back and glomp him for all he was worth. She woke up and freshened up deciding to go for a walk in the village until she had to go for the negotiation talks at noon. She saw Kankuro and Gaara just waking up and was glad that her brother could now sleep since the last month. Naruto had put a demonic influence suppression seal over his weak three symbols seal and had effectively cut off all communications with the bijuu until he talked to it himself. She remembered the first night Kankuro had seen him asleep and had fainted from the terror he felt and how she had laughed so hard as she had 'forgotten' to tell him about the sealing.

"Morning Gaara, Kankuro." She said and they smiled and nodded with a yawn.

"Morning Temari, where are you going so early in the morning?" asked Gaara and she smiled.

"Well I couldn't sleep well so I decided to have a training session and have some breakfast outside before we went to the council. It would also help me vent out my frustrations a bit." She said and Gaara nodded seeing her point and was glad that his sister was such a determined kunoichi unlike those idiot fangirls the leaf had and called them shinobi.

"Be careful and flare your chakra if you have any troubles and I'll come to help alright. But I'm sure there will be ANBU there watching you so it should be fine." He said and she smiled and shook her head confusing him.

"You aren't fast enough than who I always have for help. He will come to me in a flash if I need him." She said softly and clutched her ring finger near her heart as Gaara and Kankuro narrowed their eyes at the ring after hearing the word 'flash' and saw the fine lines of seals that anyone would miss if not knowing what they were and their eyes widened as they understood what she meant and Gaara smirked.

"He is still in Suna and is still closer to you than anyone else. That idiot never ceases to amaze me." Gaara said shaking his head and Kankuro chuckled as Temari smiled fondly tracing her ring imagining her Naru-kun wrapping her up in his arms.

"Hey it's a surprise she hasn't called him already to be her pillow." He said Temari blushed and her eye twitched.

"Hey I am not that desperate or missing him that much!" she said indignantly as Gaara spoke up.

"That's why you are up so early and ready to go when in Suna you always get up late wanting to cuddle up to him instead of early morning training." He said monotonously making her blush a scarlet red as she stuttered out a 'No' and ran out in embarrassment slamming the door behind her as Gaara had an amused smile on his face while Kankuro chuckled whole heartedly.

"Now that's a fine way to start a morning." He said chuckling and Gaara nodded with a smile. He still had some problems sleeping as the silence in his head was strange but his bloodlust was now less than ever thanks to a rested mind and had better than ever control over his sand.

Temari walked through the village with a pretty pink blush on her face as she remembered the conversation from the morning and missed her blonde idiot more than ever. She walked through the village thinking of a place to eat when she remembered the place her love always used to talk to her about. The only place that let him eat peacefully even if he didn't have the money. She walked up to the Ramen stand and entered Ichiraku's as she saw they had just opened up.

"Umm is it open?" she asked and they looked at her surprised that someone came for ramen so early in the morning. Teuchi smiled at the girl and nodded.

"Yes we are always open in the morning it's an old habit that I have for my number one customer. Even if he isn't here I still wait for him and keep the stock ready. You never know when he may come in." he said smiling and Temari smiled at the two smiling faces and knew of only one idiot who could have ramen for breakfast.

"You really cared for Naruto huh?" she asked smiling and Ayame looked at her surprised.

"You knew him?" she asked and Temari nodded and she smiled. "Well ever since he left the business is increasing but it isn't really the same without him you know. I miss my little brother. He always used to come in the morning with his goofy grin and had ten bowls of ramen. I swear he is the only one who could have so many in the morning." She said with a giggle and Temari smiled at the fondly smiling family.

"You still wait for him?" she asked softly and Teuchi smiled as he boiled the noodles. "Those idiots in the village can believe all that they want that he is dead, but I can swear on my life he won't die before he comes to me and has his last order of fifty bowls of Naruto sized ramen." He said making her giggle that he had his own dish named there and ordered one Naruto sized bowl. She ate slowly listening to them talk so fondly about her fiancée and could see the genuine care they held for him. As she finished she put a huge tip making Ayame's eyes widen as she saw the money and tried to protest but she gave it with a smile.

"It's a thank you for all the years you helped Naruto when he didn't have the money." She said and Ayame took it hesitantly hearing this as a tear rolled down her eye remembering her little blonde goofball. As Temari turned to leave she left one message for the family.

"You know Suna has one really fond customer who doesn't have his taste of ramen in the village and his legendary tongue starves for it and talks about this place a lot. I bet he will love to see this stand in Suna and we are looking for good places for tourist civilians." She said offering them a place in Suna and they were about to refuse when she said something that made their hearts stop.

"He can eat ramen day and night and all he talks about is how he used to eat at Ichiraku's for free when he didn't have the money as a small child. Please consider my offer. I'll take care of everything to get you settled in the village and he would love the surprise." She said cryptically keeping a small scroll with her details to contact her in the village if they accepted and left as Ayame put her hands over her mouth and Teuchi's eyes widened in disbelief. There was only one child that they helped all through his childhood like that.

"Tou-san h-he's…" she whispered as tears streamed down her eyes and he hugged her.

"Yes Ayame I knew he was alright; those idiots don't have what it takes to take my boy down. I have made him strong with my legendary ramen skills." He said proudly with tears and Ayame giggled at his stupid answer.

"Looks like I will have to consider moving to Suna, that mysterious customer would make up for my sales by himself." He said smiling and Ayame nodded. She too despised the way his banishment was celebrated and if he really was in Suna then it might be a nice change of scenery.

"I always liked a little extreme climate." She said making Teuchi laugh as they cleaned the stand smiling brightly at the good news she left with.

Temari walked to the training grounds with a smile knowing it would be a great surprise for him if she took him on a date to Ichiraku's in Suna. She reached the training ground and swung her fan around getting a feel for it as she moved to the middle of the clearing and started going through her Tessenjutsu katas and looked like she was dancing in a deadly dance as scythes of cutting wind flew here and there scathing the training field. Naruto had helped her incorporate some free flowing moves which could be used in close combat to take away her handicap and increase her skill with the fan. She felt a foreign presence hiding in the trees as she suddenly flicked her fan open to three moons and swung it in a wide horizontal arc towards the place she felt the presence from.

" **Wind Style : Wind Scythe Jutsu!"** she shouted as many trees were cut through and Sasuke jumped up and into the clearing with an amused smile on his face as she flicked her fan behind her ready to go on the offensive and smirked.

"Is this how the Uchiha have fallen, stalking me while I am training?" she taunted and he frowned at her taunt and crossed his arms over his chest but then smirked.

"Yes, you are a true kunoichi someone I could trust as my wife unlike those fangirls and weak kunoichi that follow me around. Let's have lunch together and we could get to know each other better." He said in pride and she scoffed at his pathetic flirting. He couldn't even match her Naru-kun in words she mused, he would just say something that would make her heart warm and would make her want to kiss him immediately. All she felt now was disgust. She wanted to puke at the fact that at one point when she first saw him she thought he was good looking. But that too wasn't the case with how she had seen her fiancée and his perfect athletic build with lean and agile muscles. She blushed as she thought of his ripped body and the package that he was hiding underneath it all for her when they finally got together. Sasuke smirked seeing her blush thinking he was the reason for it.

"So I will make reservations for today at the best restaurant on leaf. I take it as a yes seeing your blush." He said slyly and she scrunched up her face in disgust as he broke her out of her thoughts.

"In your dreams Uchiha, I was thinking of my fiancée and how you could never match up to him. Me? blush thinking of you, what a riot?" she giggled making him furious.

"Hey don't mock me I'm an Uchiha, an elite. I'm way better than that nameless fiancée of yours." He said arrogantly and she laughed harder making him fume.

"Well Mr. Elite, the difference between you and him is so great that you couldn't even imagine it." She said as he was about to retort as she cut him off. "I'll give an example Mr. Elite." she said and he fumed at her elite mock but let her speak.

"I sensed you from 500 metres away when you were trying to hide your presence…" she said and he looked at her confused as to the point she was trying to make, wasn't it great that he could get so close to her without her sensing as she continued. "My love would get behind me and wrap his arms around me and kiss my neck to make me sense him and he could follow me behind all day long without me noticing or sensing him if he wants; not that he could resist holding me." She whispered the last part but he heard it loud and clear and ground his teeth as she made each point and he listened as every time she cut off his retort.

"And Mr. Elite as you are here stalking me he is acting as the Kazekage and is way stronger than Gaara, he himself admits it and you couldn't even beat my brother three years ago when he wasn't even a Kage and didn't have complete control over his sand." She said as he clutched his knuckles turning white as he remembered his defeat at the hands of Gaara and the power he held all those years ago with the dobe matching him. She finally decided to hit the final nail in the coffin.

"And as for your nameless comment, he himself belongs to the noblest and one of the most royal of the families in the elemental nations directly related to a Kage and I don't ever remember an Uchiha being the Hokage." She taunted and walked off leaving a seething Uchiha behind and knew he had no retort to her words if how strong she said he was and no Uchiha had really ever made Kage in history. A moment later he smirked as he gazed at the walking back of Temari and her curvaceous figure and licked his lips.

" _Yes she doesn't even care who I am and stands up for herself as well as a skilled kunoichi. You'll be my wife I'll do everything I can to show you that I am the only one worthy enough and beat this fiancée of yours to the ground if that's what it takes. The final stage of the chunin exams are in Suna I guess I should attend them and have a chat with this mysterious shinobi."_ He thought walking off to talk to Shikamaru knowing the Nara was in charge for the chunin exams for the leaf and plotted ways to win her over.

* * *

 _ **Author's notes : There is the next chapter. Well I hope that everyone likes the way the plot is going and let's see how Naruto handles the Akatsuki as they come for him and shows off the skills he has inherited over the years as they are finally revealed. So I guess the story is getting interesting huh? *chuckles evilly*. Until next time keep reading and reviewing Ja Ne ;)**_


	9. Chapter 9

**Naruto : Desert Flower**

* * *

 **Meanwhile in the Land of Wind…**

* * *

Two figures in black cloaks with red clouds and straw hats were walking in the desert amidst the sandy winds as their cloaks blew and they kept walking to the village hidden in the sand. The peaceful village of the sand had no idea of the dangers that loomed over them as the village walls came into view and both figures smirked beneath their cloaks.

* * *

 **Sunagakure no sato**

* * *

Naruto was going through the paperwork with seven of his shadow clones working alongside him and was confused as to why Gaara kept calling it a demon spawn. He guessed it must be so easy because the council took care of the details and he just had to go through reading and signing them only. Again in Konoha a certain redhead had the urge to kill Uzumaki but didn't get why he was suddenly having these desires. He was getting bored and didn't get how Gaara kept himself locked up in this room with just paperwork with only Matsuri to talk to. She too only talked about the official stuff and was way too boring. He wanted his hime to come back and kiss her like there was no tomorrow and hold her in his arms as he sat there listening to the civilian talking about admitting his son and daughter into the shinobi Academy and he smiled at the father.

"Of course he can join, I'll talk to the council about those rules that civilians can't join the shinobi Academy." He said and the father smiled gratefully then spoke nervously.

"Kazekage-sama, she is my only daughter and is too innocent for the killing tasks of the shinobi life but I only have a small merchant business and want her to be a shinobi to have a good life and look after herself like her mother wanted her to but is there any way that she could you know join and not get involved in the gorier aspects of the shinobi life." He asked nervously and Naruto gave him a warm small making the man lessen his nervousness but was scared as Naruto stood up and crouched down in front of the little girl with a teddy in her hand and patted her head making her smile.

"What's your name my cute little angel?" he asked softly and she smiled blushing a bit as she looked at his whiskers and rubbed them with her little hands smiling cutely at him as he smiled in an amused way making her father scared knowing he was the current Kazekage. This was why he had come, he had been too scared to approach Gaara since he remembered his old reputation and was scared of him but he jumped at the chance of talking to a new Kazekage and was ecstatic that a mere commoner like him was given an instant appointment. Naruto turned to the man and stood confidently making him gulp and put a shoulder on his hand.

"Don't worry there are many branches like the barrier team, the sealing team or even the medical squad and various other branches that involve almost zero killing, but she will be trained to kill to protect herself if she wants to be a kunoichi. That is something I cannot help with, if you still wish for her to join the Academy…" he was cut off as the man shook his hand.

"That would be great Kazekage-sama, you are very generous to go out of your way for a civilian like me." He said gratefully and Naruto smiled and shook his head.

"Every villager is my responsibility do not be scared to come to me even if I am not the Kazekage then I'll help you in any way I can. That is the way our village will work under me, everyone is equal whether a clan head or a civilian. If there is potential, then we will bring it out. The Yondaime Hokage was but an orphan of a small clan in the leaf but is still regarded as their strongest shinobi to breathe, who is to know that this little girl might not be the next Kazekage." He said as the girl grinned and he fist bumped her as the man left happily thanking him and Naruto sat down making a document to order her admission to the Academy. The Academy came under the Kazekage and was a shinobi affair, so the council could suggest but he had the final say and he would let anyone who wished get a chance after all he himself was a clan less orphan for thirteen years he mused and if not for the old man he would never have made a shinobi. He thought remembering about the Sandaime Hokage and the times he spent with him fondly. He was surprised at how many civilians wanted to become a part of the less violent shinobi branches but were scared of the laws put in by the Yondaime Kazekage and the killing image of Gaara but were seeing their hope in him. He signed another admission paper and kept it in the growing pile that had already reached to a couple dozen since yesterday and smiled. So much young untapped talent and more strength to the village. Suddenly Chiyo and Ebizo came in and he motioned them a seat gazing at their sudden appearance curiously.

"What can I do for you Chiyo baa-sama and Ebizo Ji-chan?" he asked politely and they smiled at the polite and affectionate name. They were pretty close with all the time they spent together for the sealing branches and told him stories of his parents and he considered them family.

"Kazekage-sama we have received many admissions of civilian children by your orders since yesterday and came to talk about it." she said and he raised an eyebrow and nodded.

"Yes I just cleared another child with the will to join one of our less violent department. I thought it would be better for us to have more shinobi for support lines in the future that will aid the front line fighters and they all came willingly so I assumed it wasn't a problem? And i thought we did need to strengthen our forces too?" he asked and they smiled at his words.

"No Kazekage-sama actually the council is quite happy and we have encouraged the civilians for a while under Godaime's reign and the removal of his father's laws and clan preferences but they were still afraid of him and the new admissions are a great welcome and you have been cleared complete authority for the Academy admissions for now." Said Chiyo and he smiled in surprise and nodded happy that he was of help. They got up and just as they were about to leave Chiyo turned around and saw him working determined as he signed the admission paper. She saw an image of Minato Namikaze beside him and saw how similar they were and how they could get the best out of everyone, the Namikaze's were natural leaders she thought and smiled fondly. He caught her gaze and questioned her.

"Something the matter Baa-sama?" he asked and she smiled and shook her head.

"Nothing just went down the memory lane." She said happily and left a confused blonde behind who shrugged and got back to work.

An hour later a blast rocked the village as he felt the tremors and instantly got up flaring his chakra in a coded seal on the desk attuned to the current Kazekage as the ANBU commander appeared and kneeled in front of him.

"Dragon what the hell was that just now?" he asked in an authoritative voice and he bowed his head and answered stoically.

"Kazekage-sama the village walls have been breached, there is a blonde man on a strange bird with a black cloak and red clouds over it and is wearing a straw hat concealing his face. He is throwing some strange bombs around the village." He said and Naruto cursed under his breath.

"They are the Akatsuki, Dragon evacuate the civilians to underground shelters and order everyone above jounin to take guard and search the village for another breach. They always travel in pairs and keep them away from doing damage but do not engage directly. They are all Kage level shinobi and I do not want unnecessary causalities. Am I clear?" He said in an authoritative voice and Dragon nodded. "Dismissed." He said and he stood up and bowed.

"Hai Kazekage-sama!" he shouted and vanished to carry out the orders. Naruto picked up his jacket and instantly put it on as he undid the seal on the back as the words 'Second Flash' were written on the back vertically matching the colour of the flames and flicked out a three pronged kunai and jumped to the top of the roof of the Tower and saw the bird coming towards him as Deidara levelled himself to his eye level and Naruto stood spinning the Kunai in his finger and stared at him emotionlessly and threw the hat away as the man spoke before setting off several blasts as he saw the smoke come off from some buildings and the scared screams of the civilians.

"They made you the Kazekage hm. Well it makes it more fun to capture a Kage with my Art un." He said chuckling as he threw his hat away and Naruto got a look at his face. He recognized him straight away.

"Deidara Iwa's Mad Bomber. An S-class rogue nin wanted for bombing Iwagakure no sato and stealing their Kinjutsu to enhance your bloodline the 'Explosion Release'. Personally trained by the Sandaime Tsuchikage himself and were the prime candidate for the Yondaime before going rogue." He recited his Bingo Book entry as Deidara chuckled.

"Ahh the good old days and performances of my art…" he said chuckling. "But I'm honoured that you know my every detail Kyuubi brat now come with me so we can leave the village in peace and there won't be any causalities." He said and Naruto stared at him blankly still spinning his kunai.

"Sorry but that is not an option, you have already invaded and attacked the village and I have to capture or kill you as the current Kazekage." He said as another Akatsuki member landed beside him, one which he didn't recognize.

"I'm sorry but I don't recognize you." He said coldly to the new figure and Sasori spoke up.

"I'm Sasori of the Red Sands, you should know being the Kazekage and all, though I am happy to take down another Kazekage." He said and Naruto narrowed his eyes at his statement knowing this fight just got a lot more serious with him. He knew who he was, Chiyo Baa-sama's grandson and the prodigy of the Art of Puppetry before he used humans for his puppets. She had told him all about him, and he was another S-class prodigy that went rogue for power. Suddenly the jounin commander landed beside him in a defensive stance as Naruto spoke up.

"Stay back and provide cover from far away, this isn't a battle that you would help in, you'll only be a liability. Try and keep out of the way and don't let civilians come to harm. Form a perimeter and your priority is containment." He said and the man was about to protest when he gazed in those cold eyes and nodded stepping back and carrying out his orders.

"Sasori-danna why did you come to the battle I could take care of him myself." Asked Deidara and Sasori spoke.

"I heard he was named a temporary Kazekage so I came, we will get this done right and it seems he will be fun to fight and a good model for a new puppet." He said and Deidara chuckled and nodded.

"Kyuubi jinchuriki you still have a chance to come peacefully or the village will suffer." He spoke before Naruto flared up his chakra and flicked out another three pronged kunai getting into a stance showing them their answer. He chucked a kunai just ahead of Sasori's feet and Deidara chuckled.

"Hey kid, get your eyes checked and wear some glasses your aim is pathetic." Laughed Deidara and Naruto smirked as he formed a **Rasengan** in his free hand and they got into their battle stances when Naruto suddenly disappeared in a Yellow Flash making Deidara's eyes widen in horror as he gazed at the dreaded kunai at Sasori's feet and the stories of the Third Shinobi World War came to his mind and he shouted.

"SASORI JUMP AWAY FROM…" he couldn't finish as Naruto appeared in front of Sasori in a Yellow Flash as Sasori tried to jump back but was too late as Naruto smashed his chakra ball into the Hiruko puppet and it was splintered and crushed as Sasori left it and jumped back showing his real form and was seething at the destruction of his beloved puppet.

" **Rasengan!"** Naruto shouted as he splintered the middle of the puppet into oblivion. The jounin surrounding the battlefield were wide eyed as their Kazekage stood up his hair flowing in the wind as he chucked the kunai he threw before from the ground and spun them around holding them in a reverse grip in his hand. A moment later they broke out of their stupors as they cheered watching their Kage take charge and their confidence soared.

"THAT'S RIGHT LET'S GO KAZEKAGE-SAMA!" one of them cheered as they roared in applause.

"YES KAZEKAGE-SAMA WILL TAKE THEM DOWN WE CAN'T LOSE EVEN IF THEY ARE SO STRONG!" another cheered as their confidence soared and Naruto stood and stared at Sasori's original form.

"So that's your real face, I thought why you looked so ugly and now I know you were hiding behind that pathetic doll." He said emotionlessly as Sasori's blood boiled. That blonde brat was getting on his nerves.

"How dare you insult my art!" he hissed and turned to Deidara who was staring wide eyed at Naruto. "And Deidara what the hell was that jutsu? You recognized it so tell me?" he growled and saw him staring at him in… fear?

He watched confused as he shook his shoulder and Deidara looked at him breaking out of his stupor and answered his question.

"Sasori-senpai, every shinobi in Iwagakure and Kumogakure knows and fears that jutsu." he said and Sasori was confused, if it was so damn famous then why hadn't he seen it before in action? "Don't you recognize those kunai Sasori-senpai those are the Yondaime Hokage's kunai. He obliterated our enemies in the third war and won the whole war by himself using that accursed jutsu." He said in a trance and fear in his voice as his eyes were locked onto the kunai and the stories that Onoki had told him and how much damage those dreaded knives could cause and Sasori turned to Naruto surprised who was standing there emotionlessly as he thought of a strategy to go by.

"That was the **Hiraishin**? How the hell does he know it? I thought that it died with the Yondaime Hokage how does that dead last jinchuriki know it?" he asked stuneed and Naruto who stood silently not bothering to reply and he growled as he took out a scroll from behind in anger.

"Then I guess it's time to get serious Kyuubi!" he seethed and unsealed a puppet making all of the shinobi gasp and Naruto to narrow his eyes at the puppet.

"SANDAIME-SAMA!" one of them shouted and Naruto realized where he had seen it. He was the same as the statue in the Kazekage tower and if he remembered correctly then the Sandaime went missing in the last war and was the strongest of all the Kazekage's in history. Well now they knew where he went he mused.

"Pathetic to think you would desecrate someone's bodies like that, you disgust me to no end Sasori. It's good that Chiyo Baa-sama is in the shelter and has left fighting or surely she must have cried tears of blood seeing what you have become." He said and Sasori chuckled.

"No one understands true art, now he will live eternally and has taken the face of true art." He said chuckling and Naruto looked at him in disgust.

He tried to remember but couldn't remember anything about the abilities of the Sandaime Kazekage and spoke to the shinobi there.

"What was the Sandaime famous for?" he asked the jounin surrounding them as he saw Sasori connect the threads to his puppet and Deidara's bird taking off.

"Sandaime-sama was famous for his feared kekkei genkai of **Jiton : Iron Release.** Just like Godaime-sama he controlled sand but it was made of pure iron and was poisoned. A mere touch was enough to kill a shinobi." The man said as Naruto jumped back to avoid a hail of poisoned senbon and nodded. That was one hell of a kekkei genkai he mused.

" _Now I wish Gaara was here, it would be difficult to take them both on and keep that Mad Bomber away from civilians at the same time. Let's see if my_ _ **Hiraishin**_ _can keep up and how far I have come."_ He thought as he decided to charge and charged at Sasori who brought the puppet in front of him as he threw a kunai at the puppet and the puppet released a hail of poisoned senbon from his mouth . He disappeared in a Yellow Flash avoiding the senbon and caught the flying kunai in mid air just as it reached the puppet as he slashed the other kunai horizontally when the puppet took out two swords from its sleeves and slashed making an X and he blocked one and jumped back cursing from getting his arm slashed as he saw a little insect falling from above and was confused as to the strange white creature when he suddenly saw it glow and pumped chakra to his feet cracking the ground with the force and jumped back as the insect blew up and he looked up at the chuckling Deidara with narrowed eyes.

"You like my art eh Kyuubi?" he said in chuckles as his eyes widened when he saw hundreds of small insects flowing out from his hand to the evacuating civilians. Sasori decided to take advantage of his distraction and charged up his jutsu.

" **Iron Release : Iron Sand Drizzle"** said Sasori as suddenly black sand covered the pupped and formed small gunshot like balls and moved forward at blazing speeds and Naruto thought about what to do. He saw the civilians and the reaching bombs and then the black gunshots coming at him from behind and growled.

"DAMN IT TO HELL!" he shouted as he clapped his hands and moulded a huge amount of chakra together and the little moisture in the air started joining together forming droplets and swirled around forming a large swirl of water as he went through blazing fast hand seals and ended at Tori.

" **Water Style : Water Severing Wave!"** he shouted as a huge tidal wave of water formed around him and moved forward in blazing speeds washing away the iron sand bullets from the huge pressure of the chakra infused water as he held the ram hand seal.

"AHHH YOU WON'T TOUCH ANYONE ON MY WATCH!" he shouted in focus and strain as the huge tidal wave turned around and washed over the civilians not touching them and washed away the small bombs that detonated in the air and he smirked as he panted a bit and the whole battlefield stood in stunned silence at seeing the brilliant display of skills.

"THAT'S THE WAY SHOW THEM NARUTO-SAMA!" shouted a small child from the civilian group and they erupted in cheers at seeing the brilliant display of water elemental manipulation as the water drizzled over them making them wet. The shinobi were stunned at the huge scale of a water ninjutsu never seen before in Suna and erupted in applause at seeing their Kazekage smirking as he looked at the stunned Akatsuki members.

" _Such mastery over the water element to create water out of this dry air and to manipulate it in between the jutsu and turning it as he wills. That takes away his Water style handicap."_ Both Akatsuki members thought in unison as they turned to Naruto now taking him really seriously after seeing the display of power by the blonde. This was the blonde idiot that only made Shadow Clones only three years ago? They cursed Kisame for his stupid deduction of getting their hopes high. The damn brat had used two S-rank one of them bordering SS and one high A-rank ninjutsu and the fight had just started. They were broken out of their thoughts as Naruto spoke up.

"What happened cat caught your tongue or do you now realize what true art is?" he taunted mockingly and both of them growled at his insult as panted and Naruto wiped the sweat of his brow.

" _God damn it that was my strongest S-rank Water Ninjutsu that the Nidaime used to wipe off battlefields and I was only able to stop those two small attacks and the strain from turning it to my will is too much but I can't let them hurt innocents because they came after me."_ He thought as the pressure of the battle was kicking in and his battle instincts were now riled up as he calmed his breathing down and stared at them emotionlessly.

"I'll show you true art Kyuubi brat!" he said as the Kazekage puppet swirled around and collected the black sand together and Deidara put his hands in his hip pouch preparing the clay in his palms as they both shouted their jutsus at the same time trying to overpower him.

" **Iron Release : Gathering Assault!/Explosive Clay : C2 Dragon!"** both shouted at the same time as the black sand of the Kazekage puppet joined together to form a huge prism like spear and Deidara brought both of his palms forward and released a C2 powered clay dragon down to Naruto who seeing the size knew the dragon would level a small part near the Kazekage Tower as he started going through hand signs and water around him swirled as he again ended at Tori.

" **Water Style : Water Dragon Jutsu!"** he declared as a water dragon rose from the earlier collection of drizzled water twice the amount of Deidara's dragon size and the spear behind him came to pierce him and Sasori smirked.

"It's over now Kyuubi brat you can't save the village and yourself at the same time." Said Sasori and Naruto smirked as four **Adamantine** **Chains** shot out from his back and held the spear back inches from his back and he threw a three pronged kunai at a nearby roof and disappeared in a Yellow Flash and appeared over it panting as he saw that the area around them was now mostly cleared and he could now focus on the battle completely. Suddenly hundreds of small clay bombs appeared over him and his eyes widened as he didn't have time to repel it or throw a kunai to flash away that far to escape it as he heard a shout.

" **Wind Style : Wind Scythe Jutsu!"** he heard as the bombs were flown to Sasori who jumped back from the explosion as he saw his jounins appear beside him and smiled at them giving them a nod who nodded back.

"We'll distract the flying one Kazekage-sama, you deal with Sasori of the Red Sands. You can't fight them both and protect the village at the same time." Said the jounin commander and he nodded as they launched themselves on their fans and flew to a high rooftop engaging Deidara and turned to Sasori.

"I must say you have proved to be a really worthy opponent Kyuubi jinchuriki." He said and Naruto stared at him blankly as he saw the black sand starting to divide and form different piercing prisms and cursed at that damned ability that wasn't letting him get anywhere close to him.

"Come and let's settle this." Said Sasori as he threw a handful of kunai at the roofs nearby and the ones going to Sasori were blocked by his black sand. He charged up two **Rasengans** as Sasori narrowed his eyes in concentration at every kunai as Naruto disappeared in a Yellow Flash and appeared near a kunai and flashed away again as a spear pierced where he was and he kept it up flashing again and again and he came near the puppet and charged at it and slammed the **Rasengan** in it when it grinded into a wall of black sand blocking his attack and jumped back avoiding a spear tring to pierce him and he threw a kunai through the small created by his **Rasengan in** the black sand wall as he started adding Wind Chakra to the **Rasengan** left in his hand and disappeared in a Yellow Flash as a spear staked the place where he was a moment ago and caught his thrown kunai near the puppet's face and slammed his **Wind Style : Rasengan** in front of him and again a coating of black sand covered the puppet and Sasori smirked.

"You won't get through that Iron defence Kyuubi! It's even stronger than the one the Ichibi uses." He said laughing as Naruto charged it up and pumped it with more chakra as he focused everything into it.

"AHHHH!" he shouted as the **Rasengan** glowed a brilliant white and started grinding through the iron sand defence and Sasori's eyes widened in horror as he tried to move it away but it was too late.

" **Eat this Wind Style : Rasengan!"** he shouted as he slammed it tearing right through the puppet splintering it into oblivion as it grinded ever part of it and tore it right through the middle. Sasori's eyes widened in horror as he saw that damn brat tear apart his beloved Sandaime Kazekage puppet and he turned furious.

"How dare you destroy my precious piece of art. THAT WAS AN EXQUISITE PUPPET YOU DESTROYED. DAMN THE EXTRACTION TO HELL YOU ARE GONNA DIE!" he roared as he threw away his cloak and Naruto's eyes widened to see his body completely mechanized and turned into a puppet. Sasori opened his chest cavity and took out his last scroll from behind.

" **Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets!"** he shouted as one hundred puppets puffed into existence from the scroll and chakra threads shot out of his chest cavity and connected to the puppets as they flew in the air and Sasori laughed as Naruto stood panting and gazed at the flying deadly army stoically and listened to his taunt.

"Now I'll show you true strength Kyuubi brat. This is the special technique I used to take down a small village. Be honoured that you have pushed me to be forced to use this technique!" he said laughing maniacally as Naruto put a hand in his hip pouch and took out his kunai in both his hands and gazed at them.

" _Only four left, I'll only have one chance to do it right. Let's see if I really have mastered the_ _ **Hiraishin**_ _to the level 'he' used at his peak of strength."_ He thought as he closed his eyes in concentration ignoring the laugh coming from his opponent and calmed himself down as he remembered the words his father wrote for the deadliest technique that he used in the Third Great Shinobi World War at Kannabi bridge.

 _Close your eyes and forget your emotions completely. It takes focus like no other technique but if used can obliterate armies by itself. Forget everything and imagine there is only one thing with you : The Flash, You and the targets. Focus on each and every beacon like a grid and break the forces down strategically. I know of only one person who I trust will inherit this technique from me : My Son. Use it wisely for it is a technique that turns the tides of war and is way too powerful if used by the wrong hands for the wrong purposes. Make me proud and inherit my legacy my son._

He recited those words in his head as he pocketed two kunai and threw a couple of them forward at the army as Sasori laughed at the pathetic attempt to fight an army by himself. No matter how strong he was there was no chance…

His musings were cut off as he heard a shout.

" **Ninja Art : Kunai Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"** Naruto shouted after going through blazing fast hand seals as he pumped up enough chakra to match half of his reserves that were left and the kunai multiplied in a thousand and rained down over the hundred puppets as they embedded themselves in many parts of each of his puppet and he turned wide eyed at Naruto who stared at him icily making him feel something he hadn't felt in years : Fear. He stared into those eyes and the next words he spoke made his heart skip a beat.

"Your technique took down a small village right?" he asked the stunned Sasori and continued. "My father used this technique to obliterate entire battalions of shinobi in the Third Great Shinobi World War and won the war all on his own getting the name 'Yellow Flash'. Be honoured, today you'll witness the 'Second Flash'" he said as the fight between Deidara and the jounins had stopped to see the army that Sasori had produced and the jounins were worried sick for their Kazekage seeing him getting cornered and Deidara wanted to witness his senpai's ultimate art. But what happened next made their blood run cold.

Naruto took out his last two three pronged kunai and held them in a reversed grip as he channelled wind chakra through the blades elongating them as they glowed a light blue and hummed as power coursed through them and stared at Sasori with such cold eyes that he almost shivered.

"Don't blink." Naruto whispered as he disappeared in a Yellow Flash and every one saw as several flashes of yellow lights lit up the sky and one by one the puppets started breaking up and tearing apart. Naruto's mind went into a trance as he flashed again and again and his wind chakra charged kunai cut through the puppets like hot knife through better. He didn't even see what was happening. He was moving too fast, everything seemed to be a blur as his hands swung on their own and he didn't even realize how many times he flashed as Sasori saw his army being taken down in mere moments. He didn't even realize when his final puppet fell and when a kunai was thrown at his feet and when Naruto's last wind chakra charged kunai pierced through his chest. He gazed into those icy blue eyes as his vision blurred and he uttered his final words.

"That is true art." He whispered and Naruto let the kunai go as Sasori fell backwards with a thump and he fell down to his knee panting heavily as his mind spun from the strain and blood leaked from the sides of his mouth as he whispered.

" **Hiraishin Level 3 : Flash Step"** he whispered to himself as the whole crowd of shinobi and civilians who were watching from afar roared in happiness.

"NARUTO-SAMA!"

"AMAZING HE TOOK DOWN THE WHOLE ARMY ON HIS OWN!"

"THAT'S THE WAY KAZEKAGE-SAMA!"

"THERE IS NO WAY HE COULD LOSE HE IS INVINCIBLE!"

"ALL HE COULD SEE IN HIS DEATH WAS JUST A FLASH"

"THE VILLAGE IS SAFE AS LONG AS WE HAVE HIM!"

He heard the shouts and cheers from afar as he saw the looks of pure admiration from the jounins and civilians and the look of terror on Deidara's face as he gazed at the sky with his eyes closed and smiled feeling the breeze flowing in his hair and his jacket flew as the words 'Second Flash' were now earned to be worn by him on his back.

" _I did it Tou-san I finally did it, are you proud of me today?"_ he thought to himself as he gazed at the last shining three pronged kunai in his hand and smiled as he stood up and stared at Deidara who took a step back in fear of the blonde unconsciously. Those eyes were the eyes that were making him see his death if he continued fighting any longer. Not even Itachi had made him feel such fear and neither did he possess the skills to take down Sasori's army down in seconds.

" _That Brat took down Sasori's puppet army all on his own? He really is the son of that bastard Namikaze. Even in death his accursed son still haunts Iwa shinobi now. There is no way I can take him down on my own and capture him fighting my way through the village security I have to retreat and create a big enough distraction."_ He thought as he took out a small clay doll from his hip pouch which he brought as a last resort and was cursing that he was pushed to use it and held it in his hands as he smirked at Naruto and channelled almost all of his remaining chakra in the doll.

"You have gotten really strong Kyuubi brat, to say that I do not fear you now would be lying. What you showed me was true art and I respect true art when I see it and I know that is what Sasori thought in his last moments too. But now let's see you save the village from this!" he said as he dropped the small doll and held a ram hand seal as the doll began to grow to epic proportions and his eyes widened in horror as it turned as big as the Kazekage Tower.

"HAHAHA EAT THIS KYUUBI BRAT. AS SOON AS IT TOUCHES THE GROUNG THE PAYLOAD WILL WIPE OUT HALF THE VILLAGE. NOW THIS IS MY TRUE ART BECAUSE ART IS AN EXPLOSION!" he said and laughed maniacally as the whole village and shinobi shouted in terror knowing there was no way they could survive such a big blast and Deidara flew away in the confusion and escaped the village.

Naruto saw the mass panic and channelled chakra to his throat making his voice boom loudly to be heard by the whole village.

"EVERYBODY GET DOW! IF YOU WANT TO LIVE, LIE DOWN ON THE STREET FACE DOWN RIGHT NOW!" he shouted authoritatively and the whole village grew silent as they heard their Kage's loud order and did as he told as he channeled chakra to his feet cracking the ground from the sudden burst of chakra and jumped up high in the air pumping chakra to his legs and threw the kunai to the roof where the bomb would make its first contact and go off and disappeared in a Yellow Flash appearing over it. Everyone peeked at their Kazekage from their lying positions as they saw him gazing up at the falling huge bomb calmly and were worried at what he was about to do as he picked the kunai from the ground and was glad that he had one left and put it in his index finger and started going through hand seals.

" _Tou-san said that it could absorb and deflect even the strongest of the attacks that the bijuus made so this shouldn't be difficult either."_ He thought as he ended at boar and snapped his palms upwards and Kanji spread out from them into thin air as the huge bomb made contact with the Kanji and the bomb stopped and started getting absorbed into it. Everyone's eyes widened in disbelief as they saw Naruto's jutsu absorbing the huge bomb. Sweat ran down his head as he pumped every last bit of chakra into the jutsu as the Kanji glowed from the strain to the point of breaking. The strain of using such high level jutsus so frequently back to back were straining even his chakra coils to the limits. But he kept pumping the chakra to the jutsu as his heart beat was now escalating and he was panting heavily.

" _Just a bit more!"_ he thought pumping more chakra as finally it was all absorbed and he flicked his kunai into his palms and the kanji disappeared in a yellow flash and the whole village's eyes widened in disbelief when they suddenly heard a huge explosion go off at a far off point in the desert. Naruto saw the huge explosion as a sand wave kicked the village and he covered his eyes to see a mushroom shaped dust cloud where the blast occurred.

" **Space-Time Teleportation Barrier"** he whispered as he saw a part of the village walls crack from the tremors they felt and everyone stood up as they saw their Kage standing there calmly when the ANBU commander and jounin commander appeared in front of him gazing at the man in awe and respect. He didn't let those two even touch a single civilian and saved half the village from near destruction standing face to face against such a powerful jutsu and his eyes that were showing them the confidence he held made them bow down to the man in front of them.

"Dragon." He whispered in a strained voice from the shout he made to the villagers earlier and Dragon immediately stiffened and kneeled.

"Hai Kazekage-sama!" he shouted and Naruto smiled a bit.

"Send a message to the leaf and recall Gaara immediately. You are in charge until he returns as I won't be able to watch over the village for a few days." He said his vision blurring and both men listening were confused and about to ask what he meant when he started falling forwards and Dragon rushed up and caught him in his arms. He put him down gently and saw that he was fully drained and heavily wounded from the slight scars and the skin was poisoned showing a bit of the blue colour where Sasori's sand grazed him as a crowd began surrounding them and Dragon shouted.

"MEDICSSS!" he shouted as everyone watched their beloved hero worriedly.

* * *

 _ **Author's notes : There is the first battle of the series and I swear I really worked hard at it so please think about it before flaming it as I don't think it is that bad and unbelievable. Anyways the story is progressing nicely and thanks for the support. So if you like it and want to keep reading it press the review button, it really doesn't take a lot of time and please update each chapter if the updates are really fast. So until next time keep reading and reviewing Ja Ne ;)**_


	10. Chapter 10

**Naruto : Desert Flower**

* * *

 **Konohagakure no sato**

* * *

Temari walked through the streets back towards the hotel, her mood completely ruined by that damned Uchiha and his overgrown ego. She was actually happy that Itachi had massacred the whole clan. If all of them were stuck up pricks like that bastard then she held no ill will to him, she would have done it herself if she had to live with so many bastards at once. No wonder he had cracked she mused and walked back to the hotel room. She went in and saw Gaara and Kankuro almost ready to leave and they smiled at seeing her.

"Yo Temari where were you it's almost time to go. I thought we would have had to leave without you." Said Kankuro and she frowned and answered.

"That bastard Uchiha came stalking me at the training grounds and it took me some time to tell him off." She said in disgust and the room was filled with killing intent courtesy of Gaara.

"Did he give you any troubles?" he asked and his voice was hollow showing the bloodlust and she smiled and shook her head.

"I can take care of myself Gaara don't worry and I told him off good." She said and he nodded as he calmed down and Kankuro sighed in relief.

"Let's go and get the council meeting done with." Said Gaara and Temari and Kankuro nodded moving out of the hotel and started walking down to the Hokage Tower.

* * *

 **Hokage Tower**

* * *

 **Council Chambers**

* * *

The council was sitting waiting for the delegation from Suna to arrive and were whispering to each other about the alliance terms and how to add some points that would benefit them greatly in the future. The elders were greatly discussing of all the possible gains from the marriage alliance with Wave and Spring become their allies again and them gaining Suna's new found sealing skills and the upgraded barrier and security seals. Tsunade was listening all of their rants greatly annoyed on the inside at their glimmering eyes and almost drooling faces of the whole council.

" _Power hungry bastards. They would sell their own children if it meant a bit more power for them."_ She thought annoyed as she listened to Koharu and Homura rant to her with a fake smile and nodded not caring in the least what the old coots were ranting on about. She was wondering about Temari and her unusual behaviour from the previous day and knew that she whole heartedly loved her fiancée if her glances were any indication. She herself being a woman knew when a girl would give those glances and blushes meant that she loved him dearly and if what she knew and deducted was right then it was that new prodigy and their currently temporary Kazekage. But the thing that kept bugging her from yesterday was the design of that damn ring. She was definitely sure that it was platinum ring in the shape of a nine tailed fox with that blood red diamond haunting her dreams last night. But why would she wear such a strangely designed ring unless it meant something to her or her fiancée. The only person that could associate greatly with the King of the demons was…

" _Can it be? Is he alive and well in Suna? I hope he is, please Kami let him be happy if he is there I only wish he could be alive and live happily there. It's the least I could do to make up for my powerlessness all those years ago."_ She thought sadly with a little bit of hope that her little blonde gaki could be alive. She was broken out of her thoughts as the doors to the chambers opened and in walked the Suna delegation. The whole room went silent as they had huge smiles plastered on their faces that made Temari feel disgusted as many of them were staring at her as if she was a piece of meat that they could sell for a big profit. Temari and Gaara took their seats in front of the council as she crossed one leg over the other crossing her fingers and masking a blank look on her face. Koharu seeing the silence decided to start the talks from the previous day.

"Kazekage-dono as we have talked yesterday we are proposing to create a long term alliance that we have proposed to solidify through a political marriage between your sister Temari and Sasuke Uchiha from our side, the last loyal Uchiha and a clan head himself. The terms that we present to you are on the paper there." She said snapping her fingers as an ANBU handed Gaara a scroll which he handed to Temari knowing that she was the most ruthless negotiator the Sand had and was the reason of the strong alliances with the Spring and Wave. Temari took the scroll and started reading it and concentrated on each and every word as she saw that it was full of garbage pints where in between some there were some finely put in points that made her eyebrows furrow and she took a pencil from the table and started underlining those intelligently put in points in smart words that would be missed by anyone who didn't have the skills she had at negotiations. She finished reading and reread it to see if she hadn't misread anything and her blood boiled at seeing the fine points that were completely tilting the alliance in their favour. She handed the scroll to Gaara and gazed at the council who were all there with smiles plastered on their faces and she smiled back as she thought of the fools they were thinking they could outwit her and were thinking of them as stupid due to their young age. Gaara took the scroll and saw how much time it took Temari and started reading the small underlined sentences that she had marked and started reading over them and saw she had made some fine notes beside them.

* * *

 _The Leaf shall have a mutual alliance with the Wave and Spring and any other trading allies the Sand might come across in the future._

 _The Leaf shall share their information on seals with the Sand and the same shall be done from the side of the hidden sand village._

 _The security systems of the two villages shall be up to par with each other to show the strength of the villages to the enemies._

 _Missions from the trading partners shall be shared between the two villages to help solidify the alliance._

 _The Leaf shall provide the strength to the Sand in war times and the same shall be done from the side of the Sand village._

 _Temari shall have travelling rights to both the villages to travel freely but their children shall be complete citizens of the leaf. She shall provide with enough heirs to repopulate the Uchiha clan back to glory._

 _Both villages will share their strategic intel on common enemies and will exchange prisoners the other village requires for._

 _Leaf shall provide with its native resources and the same shall be done from the side of the Sand at a price pre-disclosed by the Leaf._

 _The Leaf will provide with the militaristic strength the Sand needs in times of extreme stressful situations._

 _The Leaf shall provide the Sand with some Medical knowledge to increase the medical prowess of the Sand._

* * *

Gaara clutched the scroll tightly in his hands as he read the fine notes written by his sister and turned to the elders smiled and gave them a death glare making them shiver. He was barely stopping himself from crushing the council in his Sand.

"So let me get this straight…" he said stoically as they listened carefully. "… The Leaf gets our prowess in seals and our Security system and barrier skills, our missions and our trade alliances with our allies, my sister's hand in marriage to the last Uchiha who you are planning for breeding purposes, our resources at pre-disclosed prices." He finished as Tsunade was wide eyed and slammed her hand on her desk startling the council.

"None of these points were discussed with me. How dare you change and add so many points without my permission?" she asked coldly as the whole council shivered from the killing intent she released and Koharu tried to calm the situation down.

"Now now Tsunade we added them for the betterment of both our villages and show the alliance and our villages stand strong together." She said as Gaara cut her off as he spoke up.

"Oh the Sand benefits quite a bit alright. The only thing I see in our favour is that Temari gets dual citizenship but her children are loyal citizens to the leaf, your militaristic help and some medical knowledge that you shall decide on how much to share. Do you take us for fools?" he asked coldly as both the Kage's glared and leaked their killing intents at the council making them gulp.

"Kazekage-dono we can discuss these points and negotiate these points further. There is no need for any hard words." She said trying to calm him down but failing miserably. All the while the whole council was cursing Temari and her sharp eyes to deduce each and every point to perfection and catch onto their ploys. Danzo too was seething at the plan to get their children for the village with their precious kekkei genkai and strong royal blood loyal to the leaf and their prowess of seals and barrier security and that they had caught onto his points that he had put in so carefully after discussing it with the shinobi clan heads who themselves wanted to propose future marriages between their children and Temari's to strengthen their own clans. Tsunade was gritting her teeth at how they were screwing up the relations with the last neutral village. She was about to reprimand the council as Gaara stood up and threw the scroll in front of her landing on her desk.

"It is clear that your village is taking me and my sister for a young fool Hokage-dono. I'm sorry but there shall be no marriage with my sister or any shinobi from the Sand after this. I was already against this political marriage but you have just destroyed the chance for a good alliance to strengthen both of our villages." He said coldly and she stood up with an apologetic face glaring at the council who were about to whine and protest at the fact that he had outright rejected the last Uchiha in marriage and shutting them up.

"I apologize Kazekage-dono, these points were added without my knowledge believe me. Do not act in haste, our villages have been old comrades in arms and have seen many wars together and come out winning. I don't care for this political marriage but the alliance is a must for both our villages strengths." She said apologetically and with a genuine sorry face.

"Your council's actions state otherwise Hokage-dono…" he said and she cut him off. "Yes I agree Kazekage-dono I have allowed them way too much leeway for too long and it's about time that matters were taken into my own hands. Please believe me when I say I had the best of intentions for this alliance for both sides and please do not make both villages suffer because of some fools." She said and he stood in silence for a few moments as he sighed when Temari put a hand over his shoulder telling him to do what he thought was right.

"Very well then Hokage-dono. I trust you on your word and your _alone_ …" he said glaring at the council who flinched and smartly said nothing. "If you genuinely care for your village and this alliance then we shall continue these talks during the third part of the Chunin Exams that will be held in the Sand. I have appointed Temari as the liaison for the first two parts of the Exams in the Leaf and she will be the head for planning the third part too. We shall continue these talks then. For now, let's discuss the matter of the Chunin Exams then…" he was saying as suddenly the door to the chambers opened abruptly and in cam running a Chunin and this infuriated Tsunade to no end who was already in a foul mood. She slammed her fist on the desk cracking it and leaked her killing intent at the chunin who gulped and was trembling in fear of the furious blonde Hokage.

"I swear this village is taking me too lightly and insubordination is now becoming a habit here. Chunin… whoever the hell you are better have a good reason for barging in a council meeting with the Kazekage so abruptly or I swear I'll break your ribs, heal them and break them again until I can't anymore." She said icily as the chunin gulped wondering what the hell had he done wrong to get such a death threat and the whole council was trying to sink in their seats not wanting to come into her vision. Gaara and Temari were smiling at Tsunade seeing her take charge for the first time like a true Kage.

"H-Hokage-sama t-there is a-an urgent m-message from t-the Sand sent with t-their fastest c-carrier bird used for emergencies. I-It is s-sealed with a really h-high level blood seal a-attuned only to Kazekage-sama." He stuttered out in fear as Tsunade calmed down and took deep breaths. She had blown up on an innocent chunin who was doing his job right for once in this god damned village and nodded taking the scroll as he ran out in fear and she sighed handing the scroll to Gaara.

Gaara took the scroll and wondered what the hell was so urgent to send a secured letter to him so urgently.

" _Uzumaki you better not have blown up a part of the village and given me some paperwork or I swear I'll get you before Temari stops me…"_ he thought biting his thumb and smeared it on the scroll as it glowed and the seals disappeared and the scroll flicked open. As he read its contents his blood ran cold with every sentence.

* * *

 ** _Gaara-sama the village was invaded yesterday by the Akatsuki. Naruto-sama took on the invaders that were identified as Deidara Iwa's Mad Bomber and Sasori of the Red Sands. They engaged Naruto-sama but he held them back and secured the village. Sasori is now KIA and Deidara has escaped without a trace by using a distraction to blow up half the village which Naruto-sama took care of, but Naruto-sama was injured by the poison of Sasori and is unconscious, his demonic chakra is taking care of the poison but it will take some time seeing the potency of the poison and how less chakra he had due to suffering from severe chakra exhaustion during the battle and his body is too strained to use that much demoni chakra at once to heal him completely and is healing slowly. The medics say he'll be fine but as per his last orders I have been ordered to recall you immediately and am taking care of the village until you return or Naruto-sama wakes up. The village is in a state of emergency protocol and we wait for your return. There were no casualties and minimal damage to the village as Naruto-sama defended everyone with great courage and skills._**

 ** _-Dragon, ANBU commander_**

* * *

Gaara stood there frozen as he re-read the letter and his eyes were wide as saucers and held an expression of disbelief on his face as Tsunade and Temari saw it and wondered what the hell had gotten into him. Temari shook his shoulder and he flinched a bit and then channelled wind chakra in his palms shredding the message completely and stood up shocking the whole council.

"I'm sorry Hokage-dono but we have to return to the village immediately. There is a matter of great importance in the village that needs me back." He said and Tsunade was shocked as she saw the stoic Gaara in haste and hurry to leave.

"Is everything alright Kazekage-dono?" she asked and he sighed as he saw the curious eyes of everyone including Temari.

"The Sand village was invaded yesterday by the Akatsuki…" he said as they all went wide eyed and Danzo smirked at their foolishness. The jinchuriki wasn't even in the village at the time they invaded but they would have made quite a lot of damage if his worry was any indication.

"Who were the invaders Kazekage-dono?" asked Hiashi as everyone looked on curiously.

"Deidara Iwa's Mad Bomber and Sasori of the Red Sands…" he said shocking the whole council. Both of them were capable of destroying small villages on their own and were now wondering how much damage the village must have suffered before they went out but were shocked as he continued. "… My friend that I left as the Kazekage in my stead fought them both to a standstill…" he said shocking the council as they wondered how skill he must have been when he continued. "… he killed Sasori but Deidara escaped by creating a distraction and he made sure there were no casualties in the battle and that the damage to the village was kept at a minimum. He is unconscious and is recovering from the battle and I have been recalled to the village to take charge." He finished as the whole room became deathly silent and Shikaku spoke up as his laziness lay forgotten by the news he heard.

"Wait so let me get this straight, your temporary replacement fought two of the most destructive shinobi capable of jutsus to level battalions by themselves to a standstill. Then he killed Sasori while Deidara escaped by a distraction all the while making sure that not one life was endangered?" he asked in a stunned summary getting a nod in return.

"Troublesome." He said with a sigh as Inoichi and Choza snickered while Tsunade twitched at the lazy ass comment. Temari though was a different case altogether.

"HOW IS HE!?" she asked shaking Gaara by his shoulders who put his hands on her shoulders calming her down and saw her watering eyes and trembling bottom lip. He saw that his strong sister was about to cry and answered her to calm her down.

"He is fine Temari, just a bit poisoned and he will be fine. You know a bit of poison isn't enough to keep him down. He'll wake up in a few days…" he was cut off as Temari let him go and her eyes hardened as she slung her fan and started walking out. "Temari where are you going?" he asked and she looked at him as if he was stupid and he himself felt stupid looking at her expression but she answered nonetheless.

"Where do you think I'm going? I'm going to be by my fiancée's side as he is injured. He would do the same for me in a heartbeat and that's exactly what I'm about to do." She said and started walking out as he spoke up again along with Danzo.

"But what about the Chunin Exams? You are in charge and need to…" both were cut off as she gazed at them icily making them both shiver and Tsunade and the rest of the women in the room to smirk. Now that was a girl who knew what she wanted and there was no stopping that force of nature.

"To hell with you, the villages and all your diplomacies. I'm going to his side and am not leaving until I have held him in my arms and made sure he is the same as how I left him. If you want to stop me then try it…" she said threatening and looking at them icily and Gaara sighed and turned to Tsunade who had an amused and proud smirk on her face. Now that was a girl who could stand up for herself in front of two Kages no less she mused.

"I'm sorry Hokage-dono but it looks like Shikamaru will have to take care of the arrangements for a few days until she can return back." He said apologetically as he saw Temari walk out without even listening to his decision and sighed face palming while Kankuro snickered.

"It's quite alright Kazekage-dono I can see she cares for him deeply and even if she was forced to stay her attention would be back I Suna. So Shikamaru can take care of the arrangements and she could review them when she returns. Plus, that lazy ass will have to work for once." She muttered the last part under her breath getting snickers from those who heard her.

"Troublesome blondes." Said Shikaku making Tsunade twitch and Kankuro to laugh.

"You are lucky Temari wasn't here to hear you say that or things would have gotten out of hand." Said Kankuro laughing as Shikaku sighed. All women were troublesome especially the hyperactive blondes whose lovers were hurt he thought.

"Alright Kazekage-dono I guess I'll see you and continue these talks during the third part of the chunin exams. Don't let me keep you, you must want to leave now." She said with a smile and Gaara smiled and nodded back gratefully and left after a handshake as the council members started to leave quietly when Tsunade snapped her fingers and her personal ANBU locked the doors and she turned to them with a really too sweet of a smile with her closed eyes and a vision of the Shinigami appeared behind her making them all gulp.

"Now lets' talk about insubordination to a Kage and the new rules for the council." She said smiling sweetly and they all glanced at each other and nodded nervously to Tsunade who motioned for them to take a seat.

* * *

 **Konohagakure no sato**

* * *

 **Village streets**

* * *

Sasuke was going through the streets looking for Shikamaru as he turned to the Barbeque place and saw him walking out and smirked at finding him.

"Hey Nara wait up!" he shouted as Shikamaru turned to him with a raised eyebrow and looked around seeing if he really had called him.

"What do you want Uchiha?" he asked neutrally in a dismissive tone making Sasuke frown but he shrugged it off seeing he needed the lazy ass for his own purpose now.

"Well I wanted to talk to you about the Chunin Exams, you are in charge for them from our village right?" he asked and Shikamaru raised an eyebrow and nodded not seeing where he was going with this.

"Yes I am what do you want to do with them? The last I heard you thought taking on a genin team was a waste of time and not worthy of the last Uchiha's time." He said making the Uchiha scowl but he didn't retort and shrugged his tone off.

"Yes well I was interested in seeing some new talent from the other villages and was curious. So who is in charge from the Sand this time?" he asked trying to gather up information.

"The Last I heard it was Temari no Sabaku and she is supposed to meet me today in the evening after her council meeting." He said in a suspicious tone not believing his answer for his new found interest and saw as his eyes brightened up at Temari's name.

"Temari huh? So what else do you know about her?" he asked curiously and the Nara's eyes narrowed at the Uchiha.

"Where are you going with this Uchiha get to the point." He said in a tone of finality making Sasuke frown and he nodded.

"I want a way to go to Sand and see the last part of the Chunin Exams there. Get me into security or something else for the important figures. I don't care what you do but I want to go to Suna for the Exam finals." He said bluntly and Shikamaru's eyes narrowed further.

" _Hmm he is strong and we need willing jounin for security duty and escorts. But that still doesn't answer why he wants to go so badly."_ he thought eyeing the Uchiha's face suspiciously.

"What's with the new found interest Sasuke?" he asked and Sasuke frowned.

"I told you I wanted to see new talent from the other…" he was cut off as Shikamaru scoffed.

"Yeah you wanted to see genin fight it out with each other. You could fool anyone else but not me, tell me the truth if you need my help." He said stoically and Sasuke was angry at his dismissive tone and answer but gritted his teeth silently knowing he was the one in need of a favour right now.

"There is a new strong shinobi in the Sand that I have heard much about and he will definitely be at the Exams. I want to check him out." He said telling him the half-truth and Shikamaru nodded knowing he was hiding something else too.

"And what's with your interest in knowing about Temari?" he asked and Sasuke narrowed his eyes and clenched his knuckles at finding his point so easily but replied honestly.

"She intrigues me. I want to get to know her better too. She is not like the pathetic fangirls of our age and is a true kunoichi. She laughs at my clan status and isn't afraid to talk or fight me back if she wants and is beautiful too. She has royal heritage, holds herself in strength and power with elegance of a fine woman and I am interested in her and want to get close to her. She is perfect for me and I like her. Going to Suna serves me two purposes at once. There you have the truth from me." He said making Shikamaru frown in jealousy but he smirked a moment later making Sasuke confused.

"So she told you off right? You went to talk to her and she blew the great Uchiha off without a thought and it hurts your pride." He said smugly getting a chance to poke the Uchiha who fumed as he remembered the conversation he had with the Sand princess.

"Are you going to help me or not?" he asked finally and Shikamaru turned serious.

"Alright we need jounin with good skills for security and as escorts and I will get you to the Third part and you could get to see that shinobi that you are curious about…" He said and Sasuke smirked as he continued. "… But listen carefully Uchiha, I like Temari and have for a long time. If you are trying to play with her…" he was cut off as Sasuke spoke up.

"I want to marry her and make her the Uchiha matriarch. I don't care if you like her or not but she will be mine, I'll see to it and make her fall for me. Thanks for getting me in the Exams now I'll leave. I have to train and I'm wasting precious time…" he stopped as he saw Temari coming their way walking and smirked. Shikamaru saw his trailing voice and followed his gaze to Temari and smiled at seeing how beautiful she become from the last time he saw her and just as he was about to call her Sasuke stood in front of her with a sly smile trying to win her over and get her on a date.

"Hey there beautiful let's…" he was cut off as Temari shoved him away and he fell onto his butt.

"GET THE HELL OUT OF MY WAY UCHIHA, I HAVE IMPORTANT MATTERS TO ATTEND TO THAN TO LISTEN TO YOUR PATHETIC FLIRTING." She growled and kept walking without sparing him a glance as everyone around snickered quietly while Shikamaru was laughing whole heartedly making him furious as he glared at him.

"Oh that's rich! The Uchiha just got burned in the middle of the street and she pushed you away without even sparing a glance. Way to go there Casanova you are well on your way to win her alright." He said laughing and Sasuke seethed at him and turned his gaze at the glorious back of Temari and watched her elegant walk and traced his eyes on her figure smirking and licking his lips at her well-toned figure and the way she walked as he gazed at her firm back and well-toned legs.

" _Yes you will be mine. Just let me show you how great I am against that fiancée of yours and then I'll swipe you off your feet."_ He thought smirking and walked off ignoring Shikamaru's laughs and went to train with Kakashi. Shikamaru though wanted to go and talk to her but saw that she was in no mood for talking then saw Gaara and Kankuro trying to catch up to her and was confused but decided to let it be for the time being. He'll see it during the arrangements for the Exams he mused and walked away with his hands in his pockets.

* * *

 **Village Gates**

* * *

"Hey Temari wait up we are coming too!" shouted Kankuro as he and Gaara walked up to her and she didn't even spare them a glance and kept walking.

"Temari he'll be fine…" he was cut off as Temari spoke up talking to herself. "That idiot I leave him alone for five days and he gets into a fight with not one but two S-class shinobi and takes them on and that too on his own then goes and gets injured, I swear when I see him I'll introduce him to a whole new world of pain and introduce him to the joys of my fan that he has never before felt and he'll pray I was one of those two that he fought after I am done with him." She ranted jumping through the trees as Gaara silently listened and Kankuro gulped remembering the precious treatment of her fan and prayed for the half dead blonde to stay alive after she was done with him.

Gaara saw her furious expression and decided to stay silent knowing only one person could calm her down and she was currently furious with him. Kankuro was trembling at the small amounts of killing intent his furious sister was leaking and stayed silent as they trudged to the Sand village silently.

* * *

 _ **Author's notes : There is the next chapter. I am glad that people didn't find the fight too boring or flawed and will try my best to do the rest. As for some complaints to him being underpowered, well he hasn't really shown everything you know and will get better with time so don't worry. Now let's move on to how Temari will be when she sees our favourite blonde and how Sasuke will be dealt with in the future. Well if you like it and want to keep reading further I request readers to please review every chapter they read, I mean two three words and a button press doesn't take long and do so to get quick updates so until next time keep reading and reviewing. Ja Ne ;)**_


	11. Chapter 11

**Naruto : Desert Flower**

* * *

 **Timeskip Three Days later…**

* * *

 **Sunagakure no sato**

* * *

Temari, Gaara and Kankuro walked in through the gates of the village, and saw the villagers going around and a small bit of construction work going on near the buildings in the vicinity of the Kazekage Tower. Gaara and Kankuro stopped at the gate guards and checked in, seeing the ANBU there guarding it and the ANBU couldn't be happier to see their Kage back. They saw Temari and were about to stop her to tell her to check in, when they saw her expression and the small amounts of killing intent she was leaking and smartly stayed silent making Kankuro snicker that the elite ANBU were scared of a furious Temari. Gaara and Kankuro followed her to the Suna Hospital and saw that there were many people outside waiting and a lot of commotion around the gates.

* * *

 **Suna Hospital**

* * *

Temari came to the gates of the hospital and saw that there were some people crowded at the gates fighting to go in to meet Naruto and just kept walking silently as the scared civilians and shinobi alike promptly gave her a way to move forward. The ANBU guards guarding the gate moved away seeing the furious kunoichi and knew of her reputation when she was furious; and decided to play it safe and let her go seeing Gaara and Kankuro following her silently and gave them a curt nod who nodded back. She walked up to the reception and saw the receptionist there stamping and going through a lot of files and spoke up.

"Which room is Naruto Uzumaki in?" she asked in a low voice that had a dangerous edge to it which the receptionist didn't notice and kept going through her work not glancing who she was talking to.

"I have already told everyone Naruto-sama is not to have any visitors unless authorized by the council, now go there is a lot of work to do." She said stamping a paper and Temari slammed her palm on the desk making the files fall, leaking a lot of killing intent causing her to look startled to see who she had spoken to.

"I will ask again which room is Naruto Uzumaki in?" she spoke in a low tone and the receptionist gulped seeing she would blow up any minute and spoke up.

"N-Naruto-sama is n-not to have a-any…" she stuttered and tried to speak again when Gaara came to her from behind. "… Let her pass she has my authority and the last I checked I am the Kazekage." He said and the receptionist beamed at seeing him back and nodded signing a visiting card that she handed to Temari who took it with a nod and moved to the secure wing of the hospital guarded by the ANBU for special and higher level shinobi. She walked through the wing and up the stairs to the third floor followed by Gaara and Kankuro at a distance as she came to room 302 and saw Dragon himself standing there as he stood in her path blocking her entry.

"I'm sorry Temari-sama but no one can visit Naruto-sama, not even…" he was cut off as she slapped the visiting card on his mask and pushed him aside as a snickering Kankuro and Gaara with an amused smile came up.

"Well so much for the respect for an ANBU commander in front of an angry Temari." Said Kankuro laughing and Gaara nodded as Dragon looked down embarrassed as he watched her slide the door open and go in closing and locking it behind her. He too wasn't one to stop her entry from seeing her lover as well as seeing her expression but at least he tried. Gaara put a hand over his shoulder as he looked at his Kage and came to his senses kneeling down.

"Kazekage-sama you have returned." He said stoically and Gaara nodded as he sat down on the waiting chairs with Kankuro waiting for Temari to be done so he could see him, if maybe he was alive by the time she was done with him.

"Dragon go and inform the council that I have returned and taken charge and lift up the emergency protocol. I shall meet with the council at noon after I have met with Uzumaki." He said stoically and Dragon nodded listening to his orders. "Dismissed." He said and Dragon stood up and bowed to his leader.

"Hai Kazekage-sama!" he said and vanished in thin air as Gaara and Kankuro gazed at the locked door with curiosity.

"So how long do you think she will take?" asked Kankuro still keeping his gaze at the door.

"I have no idea." He said also gazing at the door.

"Will he be alive after she is done with him?" he asked again and Gaara answered in his usual way.

"I have no idea." He said and Kankuro nodded.

"I wish him peace in the afterlife, he was a good man." Said Kankuro in a mourning voice.

"Indeed he was, I'll miss him." Said Gaara and both went silent waiting for the screams to come if there would be any.

* * *

 **Naruto's Room…**

* * *

Naruto was sleeping and his body was dead tired. Apparently from what the doctors and Chiyo told him, Sasori had come prepared to neutralize him and the poison was slowing down his chakra healing and cutting off his demonic chakra which wasn't allowing him to recover as quickly as he did and was healing at a normal rate which was really annoying to him. He was glad the bastard was dead or otherwise he would have created even stronger poisons for him in the future. The little demonic chakra that was flowing in his chakra coils was keeping the poison at bay that Chiyo was taking care of slowly and surely neutralizing it. She herself was surprised at skill of her grandson to create a poison strong enough to neutralize a jinchuriki like this, cutting of his demonic chakra almost completely. If it had been any other jinchuriki, he wouldn't have been able to stop the poison from spreading, but she had to admit the King of Demons was a well-earned title as the Nine Tails was manipulating what little access he had to the boy to the limits.

He hadn't felt this tired and drained ever in his life and wondered if this was what severe chakra exhaustion felt like and heard a little snort in the back of his mind but shrugged it off and went back to his deep slumber letting the tiredness take over him. An hour later he heard the door sliding open and it being shut and locked as he felt some chakra being pushed into the silencing seals of the room seeing them glow and woke up. This wasn't either Dragon or Chiyo since they had no reason for privacy seals and the little amounts of killing intent he felt made him cautious. A moment later as his little senses that he had access to at the moment kicked in he smiled, he located the beacon of the love of his life behind him and knew who had done what was going on in the room and opened his eyes and tried to sit up with great effort and sat up leaning against the back of the bed and sat up turning to Temari breathing a bit heavily from the strain.

Temari stood there her knuckles clenched white in anger and glowing on the inside in all her righteous fury as she saw the blonde knucklehead that had taken away her sleep for the past three nights dozing off in a deep slumber and her anger increased. She saw as his body moved and she saw the strain with which she sat up causing a bit of worry in her anger to rise up. She saw him sitting up against the support of the back of the bed and sighing and breathing heavily at the effort it took making more worry creep into her replacing her anger. She saw him glance at her and saw his skin a bit paler than usual and his tired eyes and expression, and her heart melted as she saw her hyperactive knucklehead in that condition but she reminded herself she was still furious with the blonde and her killing intent returned back as she concentrated it on him and he looked at her curiously not at all scared of her that made her even more annoyed that he wasn't in the least bit of intimidated.

Naruto saw his love standing there and smiled tiredly at her and was surprised as she was leaking killing intent and that too was intended for him as he tried to speak up opening his mouth but no words came and his throat hurt him. Damn he shouldn't have shouted that loudly that night he mused as he took up a glass of water slowly with tired shaky hands and took a gulp of it slowly and put it back slowly as a little water dropped from the shaking. Temari saw this and seeing his shaking hands and how he was having trouble speaking, her anger was again being released as worry was increasing again at the blonde. She cursed him for worrying her so damn much but told herself that she was angry with him. She decided whatever he said first would be the deciding factor as to what she would do to the cute…. Argh knucklehead blonde. Her words died down in her throat that she was about to thrash him with as he opened his arms motioning for her to come to his arms.

"I missed you Mari-chan." He whispered hoarsely in a tired voice and her eyes watered as all her anger lay forgotten and she threw herself in his arms, her eyes watering seeing his weak and frail state, he was supposed to be always grinning and teasing her not like this. He caught her in his arms and wrapped her up as he buried his face in her neck taking in the scent of her lovely silky hair as he let it flow freely halfway down her waist and let his fingers run through it and held her tightly. Oh how much he had missed his hime, he thought hugging her tightly as she started sobbing and hitting his chest lightly.

"Baka I was supposed to be angry with you for being so damn reckless and worrying me and beat you up. I was supposed to punish you but…" she stopped her rant in between her sobs as he pulled her head back and captured her lips running his hands on her waist softly and licked her bottom lip softly as she opened her mouth and he kissed her pushing it in and she massaged it with her own as it turned into a full out make out session lasting fifteen minutes as he was more and more into it listening to her soft moans and kissed her jawline and neck sensually making her moan.

"Ahh Naru-kun…" she moaned as he pushed her kimono sideways connecting his lips to her sweet spot making her gasp as he ran his hands through the insides of her thighs and massaging them as he kept licking and kissing her sensitive spots softly and sensually teasing her. She was on cloud nine as she felt him touch her after so long and take away all her worries and anger in him. She was getting wetter by the minute as she felt both his hands on her thighs and her panties were now drenched. She was breathing heavily as he felt him on the edge her kimono near her breast that was her most sensitive spot and felt him lick it softly making her back arch as pleasure rock through her body.

"Mmm Naru-kun right there more yesss…" she moaned as she pulled his head closer and tried to make him go lower to her breasts but he removed her hands from his head and kept at the same place not giving in as she didn't force him and ran her fingers softly through his hair and he smiled and kept at it as her chest heaved up and down, her breath heavy as she was so close. He slowly made his way up kissing her softly on the neck and reached her ear pressing his lips and licking and blowing at it softly making her shiver and clutch him closer to her.

"Yes moan my name hime…" he whispered softly and massaged her thighs softly and pressed his lips on her neck as her head thrashed a bit.

"No I won't I'm angry…" she said with a moan making him smile as he licked her collarbone and went to the spot from before and just touched his tongue as her chest moved up trying to make him lick but he leaned back making her whine and he again went her ear.

"You will say my name hime…" he said sensually and she shook her head violently from the pleasure and he smiled kissing her cheek softly and went down as she tried to capture his lips.

"Say it…" he whispered sensually and she shook her head as he bit her neck softly and she gasped as her stomach churned from the pleasure and pain.

"AHH NARU-KUN I'M CUMMING!" she moaned and he felt his hands drenched and brought them up and licked them up softly and she blushed scarlet in embarrassment and hugged him tightly stopping his teasing as he chuckled tiredly and closed his eyes breathing heavily. She felt his breathing was harder than her own and remembered how much effort it took him to sit up and to go through so much would have had a lot of strain as she hugged him tightly to her as he laid his head on her chest and closed his eyes.

"Why did you do it if you were so tired?" she whispered running her fingers through his hair and he smiled a bit as his breathing slowed down a bit and he kissed her neck softly burying his face in it.

"Because you were angry and worried and needed a release hime. And it was all because of me, I'm sorry I worried you." He whispered tiredly and she smiled a small smile kissing the top of his head softly as she whispered.

"It's alright I know you can take care of yourself but I worry too much because I love you too much baka. Care about yourself more than me for once." She whispered brushing his hair as he took in her scent and smiled.

"Never in a million years will I put myself before you." He whispered and she smiled at her cute little blonde baka.

"Why can't I ever stay mad at you for once?" she said softly and he smiled.

"Because you love me hime." He answered softly and she giggled.

"Stop taking advantage or I might change my mind…" she was speaking playfully as he pressed his lips on her and looked at her with a soul piercing gaze making her look at him in a trance.

"Never change your mind about loving me hime, that will be the day that I do something really reckless." He whispered in a dead serious voice and she nodded and gave him a smiled as she too pressed her lips on his softly and rubbed his whiskers.

"I won't. Ever." she whispered and he smiled as he kept his forehead on hers and both gazed at each other lovingly.

"I love you." She whispered her arms wrapped around his neck the whole time they talked and he smiled at her faint pink blush adorning her cheeks.

"And I love you hime." He whispered back as she brought his face to her neck and he snuggled in her arms making her smile.

"Sleep now my blonde teddy, you need the rest." She whispered with a small melodic giggle and he nodded in her neck.

"Now I can sleep peacefully hime. I missed being in your arms." He said softly and she brushed his hair as his eyes drooped and he yawned cutely from exhaustion making her smile.

"And I missed holding my baka in my arms." She whispered as she felt his breathing calm down and the weakness overtook him as she too closed her eyes and cuddled up to him letting the sleep claim her.

* * *

 **Three Hours later outside the room…**

* * *

"They are not coming out or opening the room are they?" asked Kankuro his gaze still on the door and Gaara answered.

"No I don't think so." He said still waiting to see the blonde and he had tried to get in but the room was sealed shut with seals making only Temari or Naruto to open it as they both sighed.

"I still can't believe he got so many presents." Said Kankuro and Gaara nodded seeing the pile of gifts that the ANBU had kept at the end of the hallway.

"And to annoy me further most of them were from pretty girls or those really chubby cute children some of who called me different names." He said his eye twitching at the popularity of the blonde and how he didn't even care and was crying anime tears on the inside thinking what he would give to be so popular.

"Yes the best were freak face, cross dresser, alien giant cat, makeup man, doll man…" he was cut off as Kankuro shouted." ALRIGHT, I GET IT ALREADY DAMN IT!" he said and Gaara smiled at riling up the man as he stood up and started walking down the hallways as he spoke up.

"Come Kankuro its time, let's meet the council and see what has happened in our absence and what needs to be done." He said seriously and Kankuro nodded falling in step with Gaara as they walked down to the Kazekage Tower.

* * *

 **Kazekage Tower**

* * *

 **Council Chambers**

* * *

The council sat down on the round table murmuring to themselves happily as the ANBU guards that had come to inform them of the meeting also informed them that Gaara had returned and they couldn't be happier. The room turned dead silent as the doors to the chambers opened and in walked Gaara followed by Kankuro and Dragon as he took his seat and gave them a nod as they nodded back.

"It's great to have you back Kazekage-sama." Said one councillor and he nodded.

"It's good to be back honourable councilman. Now pleasantries can be done later…" he said and they all nodded as he turned to the Jounin commander. "… I tried to meet with Naruto myself but apparently my sister in all her righteous fury has locked his room and sealed it shut not allowing anyone access except her until she is done with him. So I ask you Baki, what happened while I was out?" he asked and the Jounin commander nodded.

"Kazekage-sama it was a normal evening and the village was doing its normal routines when suddenly a man with a black cloak and red clouds came flying in on a bird…" he said as Gaara cut him off. "How did he breach the barrier without anyone, especially Naruto noticing?" he asked and Baki nodded.

"Yes Naruto-sama came to the same assessment and I looked into it there was a sleeper cell spy on the inside of our barrier team, the deactivation of the barrier a few days before you left was also the result of him betraying us…" he said as the council was in an uproar and Gaara nodded at the man and held his hand up silencing them. "… I expected as much so have you sniffed out the traitors? And how was he able to operate so freely without anyone noticing?" he asked and Baki nodded.

"Yes apparently Kazekage-sama, the man was having a lot of help from the outside as well as from the inside from one of our elite jounins, both have been captured and are currently with the ANBU core of T&I…" he said and Gaara nodded taking the file and went through the files of the two and motioned for him to go on as he noticed the sudden feeling of pride in his voice and the way the faces of all of them lit up. "Yes well he started bombing the village with small clay bombs and headed towards the Kazekage Tower where Kazekage-sama engaged him…" he said as the events came back to his mind and the power that Naruto emitted and the aura he held came to his mind and he spoke up. "Naruto-sama identified him as Deidara and then another one came and was identified as Sasori and then a fight ensued as he went toe to toe matching everything they threw at him all the while protecting us in the battle, but he was getting a bit overwhelmed when we distracted Deidara for a few moments and he and Sasori went one on one. The battle was going on to a stand-still when Sasori used the variation of Chiyo-sama's puppetry technique and instead of ten he used the performance of a hundred puppets that he admitted he used to take down a small village…" he said making Gaara's and Kankuro's eyes widen when they saw the expressions of glee on everyone's faces and raised an eyebrow. "That is when Naruto-sama completely turned the tables on him, he threw two of his four kunai and used a strange jutsu to multiply them into a thousand and rained it on the puppet army in the sky. Then he disappeared in a Yellow Flash as many more similar flashes lit up the sky and in moments Sasori's army was annihilated and he didn't even know when he was killed, it all happened in just a flash…" he finished as he noticed every veteran shinobi's curious eyes were now on Gaara who had his eyes closed and nodded.

"Kazekage-sama I believe you aren't telling us something, since I see that I and many who have fought in the Third Great Shinobi World War recognize what Naruto-sama did and if we are not mistaken then that was…" he spoke as Gaara raised his hand and gave him a stern look silencing him and sighed rubbing his temples.

" _Well I guess the cat is out of the bag now. It's time to reveal everything."_ He thought as he took out a paper and held it in front of him as everyone gaze at him curiously.

"This is Naruto's original registration ID form that was 'misplaced' by me when he submitted it…" he said and they nodded noticing the special emphasis on the word misplaced and the sarcastic tone he held. "Naruto told me everything about him and asked me to keep certain points hidden for his and everyone that was close to him safe, but I guess there is no point in hiding anything now. So until I make it official Naruto is not called Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze and is not the son of Kushina Uzumaki, the princess of whirlpool and Minato Namikaze, the Yellow Flash and Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure no sato." He said as everyone was wide eyed and most of their suspicions were confirmed as suddenly all hell broke loose.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US?"

"HE REALLY IS OF ROYAL HERITAGE!"

"THAT IS AMAZING!"

"THE NAMIKAZE LINEAGE LIVES AND THAT TOO IN SUNA!"

"HE REALLY IS THE SON OF THE YELLOW FLASH!"

He heard their shouts and sighed rubbing his temples in frustration as he leaked his killing intent shutting them up.

"SILENCE!" he roared and everyone sat down and became silent as he spoke up. "You all cannot talk about this for now until the moment the village is out of chaos and I shall reveal it to the villagers then. I hereby take you under an oath of silence ordered by your Kazekage to not talk about the Namikaze name until I reveal it. I do not want Iwa or Kumo to be on our backs when we are rebuilding and sorting everything out. Let Naruto get back to strength and our security systems back online and then we can reveal it to the village." He said and they all nodded whole heartedly with wide grins on their faces at hearing the words they so wanted to hear and to think their hero was the son of such royal and powerful leaders.

"Kazekage-sama, then I propose Naruto-sama be put as clan head of the Uzumaki and Namikaze clans and become a clan head thereby joining the council after he turns sixteen next week giving him the required age to become a clan head as per the laws laid down by the Shodaime Kazekage." He said and Gaara nodded with a smile and agreed making them all smile.

"Alright now that that is over with what else did that blonde idiot do while I was gone?" he asked and the whole council chuckled and he too cracked a smile as Chiyo spoke up.

"Kazekage-sama, Naruto-sama has enrolled many civilian children into the Academy and stamped their admission papers during his Five-day reign as Kazekage, there were 27 to be exact in two days. Apparently, the civilians and shinobi alike love him and his kind and compassionate nature and the warmth he emits with the aura of power around him. They have requested him for many things that were wrong and how some of the clans were abusing the small merchants by their power and he took many steps regarding the treatment of small merchants and civilians and was planning many other things but the invasion happened before he could work them out any further. These are only a few that he had planned and was working on…" she said handing him a file and his and Kankuro's eyebrows shot up in surprise as they went through the file.

"Wow he really is a work machine. To think these are only a few he had in mind…" said Kankuro and Gaara nodded as they kept reading through it.

"Indeed to think he has done so much in such a short amount of time…" he said as Chiyo spoke up.

"Kazekage-sama there is a proposal the council would like to make if you don't mind…" she said politely and he raised an eyebrow and nodded seeing their intrigued expressions. Since when did the council become so lively he mused. "… we would like to offer Naruto-sama a new position which gives him more power and standing in the village seeing his great leadership skill and the way shinobi and civilian alike look up to him. After this fiasco his popularity and influence is going through the roof as I imagine you would have already noticed…" she said and Gaara nodded remembering the gifts and the crowd outside the hospital and cut her off as an idea formed in his head and he smiled and the whole council became silent seeing the stoic Kage smile.

"I have an idea…" he said and they looked at him curiously. "… from this day on I propose Naruto as my Military commander, he shall be my right hand man and in a position to order the ANBU as well as Jounin commander. He shall have the discretion to do as he pleases and get it signed by me to make it official and will keep a good watch over shinobi and civilians seeing as they see him as a better option to turn to than me. He shall answer to me and me only and will entail the authority to have many changes be made in the infrastructure of the village as long as me and the council concur with his decisions and they benefit the village. All those who trust him enough to handle such an important position say 'Hai' seeing as the power he will hold only a unanimous vote will…" he was cut off as they spoke up.

"HAI!" they said in unison at the same time and he smiled and nodded writing it down on a scroll and passed it around as they signed and stamped it and he rolled it sealing it with the official Kazekage seal and kept it in his robes.

"Alright from this day forward Naruto is the Military commander of Sunagakure no sato. Please make this decision known to the villagers and let them know after he is up and about to go to him if I am not there or for some reason they do not wish to talk to me then he can get the job done in my stead." He said and they all nodded with a smile.

"And before I dismiss the council what the hell is that huge lake in the middle of the desert right beside our village?" he asked and they all smiled.

"That was Deidara's last attack to wipe out half the village that Naruto-sama deflected there and the heat was so much that it turned a hundred metres of san to glass where it exploded and due to the heat it rained a bit there filling it up. If we are to see now it has become a natural lake seeing as it is big enough to last a few months with the little amount of rain, we get." Said Ebizo and he nodded with a smirk.

" _Uzumaki you really do have the devil's luck. A mere deflection by you causes a natural phenomenon."_ he thought and nodded.

"Then the broke part of the village will be extended and we will take that lake under our village walls making it a new part and extending our perimeter. With Naruto's skills in water manipulation he can fill it up if it ever dries up again and we can use the water to our advantage and make our lands a bit more lively. Get the builders to cut out pathways across the village grounds and let the water flow brighten the dry lands a bit." He said and they all smiled and nodded. To have water and a bit of greenery was always a dream of every villager and Naruto could make it a reality.

"Then the village council is hereby dismissed. I believe that is enough for one meeting." He said and they all chuckled and left.

"That blonde gaki really knows how turn people to his side." Said Kankuro and he nodded with a smile as they walked to the hospital to see if Temari was up and about.

"That he does." Said Gaara and they walked away.

* * *

 **Suna Hospital**

* * *

Gaara and Kankuro walked towards his room and Gaara tried the door and to his surprise it was unlocked and he glanced at Kankuro who was equally surprised and slid the door open and walked in followed by Kankuro. They stepped in to see the damage to the room but found none and were surprised as they stopped dead in their tracks when they saw the scene at the bed.

Temari was leaning on an elbow with Naruto's head buried in her chest as she was brushing his hair softly and he was snuggled in her chest and completely cuddled up to her. She had a bright smile on her face as she saw the peacefully sleeping blonde she held in her arms. She didn't even notice them come in when she heard a shout.

"HOW THE HELL DOES HE DO THAT!?" shouted Kankuro in disbelief as Temari leaked her killing intent at him and a moment later her fan buried itself in his face and he was on the ground rolling in pain.

"This is a hospital you idiot, can't you see Naru-kun is sleeping. Keep it down." She hissed in a low voice and he grumbled rubbing his head and stood up as Naruto moved a bit from the commotion and Temari brought his tightly to her chest and kissed the top of his head.

"Shh, sleep Naru-kun, it's nothing rest alright." She whispered softly as he snuggled into her making her smile and his breathing again softened as he went to a deep sleep and Gaara took a seat at the couch and Kankuro sat beside him both with smiles as they saw their sister holding Naruto like a plushy bear.

"I thought you were going to beat him up and introduce him to a whole new world of pain with your fan." Kankuro said reciting her words and she smiled a small smile cradling the head her lover softly and gently.

"I can't hurt him Kankuro no matter how angry I am. I love my idiot too much." She said softly and both smiled genuinely at the love and affection in her voice and the caring gaze she kept at the sleeping blonde.

"Then what was the fury you held for three days?" asked Gaara still a bit slow on the feelings department and she smiled.

"I was worried about him, but now that I have him safe in my arms I can rest easy." She said softly and he nodded with a smile and motioned for Kankuro to come and they left the room giving the couple the privacy they needed.

" _Get better soon Naru-kun. I miss your energy and teasing already."_ She thought and herself went to sleep cuddling to him as Gaara closed the door slowly and smiled as he took one last glance at the cuddled couple and closed the door shut.

* * *

 _ **Author's notes: There is the next chapter. I am glad that you guys are liking the story and I try my best seeing your enthusiasm. So this was Temari and Naruto's interaction and Naruto apparently got a new position now in the village, power just below that of a Kazekage. He is mostly an unofficial Kazekage with Gaara's right hand in the village and is being respected by the whole village. So let's see what the future holds in store for our favourite blonde couple and I say it again if you like the fast updates then hit that review button just as fast or I might slow down. So until next time, keep reading and reviewing Ja Ne ;)**_


	12. Chapter 12

**Naruto : Desert Flower**

* * *

 **Sunagakure no sato**

* * *

 **Next Morning**

* * *

Our favourite blonde couple was sleeping in a deep sleep with small smiles on their faces as our hero had his arms wrapped around his hime's waist and she had her back against his firm chest and both were spooned to each other as our whiskered faced hero's eyes were hidden in the silky blonde hair of his hime. The nurse came in along with Chiyo to see the cute scene and both smiled as the nurse went to the window and opened up the curtains as sunshine hit the faces of our favourite couple and Temari's eyes fluttered open a bit groggily. Naruto buried his face in the back of her neck and hid his face in her hair sighing happily as he kissed it softly and Temari blushed as she felt his lips on her neck and his breath feeling a bit ticklish. She saw the nurse with a blush on her face and her hands on her mouth and Lady Chiyo had an amused smile on her face as her blush deepened when she realized her position. Instead of feeling embarrassed she turned around in his arms and placed her lips over his softly and her arms around his neck as Naruto's eyes opened when he felt something soft on his lips and brought her closer pressing his own lips over hers and broke off with a smile as she pecked his nose softly and giggled.

"Morning Naru-kun." She whispered softly and he smiled.

"Morning Mari-chan." He whispered back equally softly making her smile. Chiyo faked a cough to get their attention which they promptly ignored and Temari placed her forehead against his gazing intently into those cerulean pools she loved so much. Naruto gazed into those teal green eyes that mesmerized him so much and his heart warmed up at holding his hime in his arms and tightened his hold on her waist and she snuggled closer pressing herself against him and kept staring into those eyes as she put a hand on his cheek and rubbed those whiskers she loved so much softly making him close his eyes and lean into her touch and she smiled.

"How are you feeling Naru-kun?" she whispered and he kept his cheek on her hand as she kept rubbing those whiskers with her thumb a bit making him purr and she giggled.

"Much better now that you are here." He whispered and she smiled and pressed her lips on his softly and broke off with a smile.

"Alright now I'll go and get freshened up and you take care of the two ladies behind me." She said softly and he frowned a bit.

"Is it necessary?" he asked annoyed to have to let her go and she giggled and pecked him.

"Yes it is baka now let me go so you could get checked up." She said and he shook his head and hugged her tightly making her smile as she brought her lips on his ear.

"If you let me go and be a good boy then I might give you a little… gift." She whispered trailing her finger on his cheek and licked and kissed his neck softly and pecked him softly and he blushed a scarlet and let her go making her giggle as she kissed his forehead and stood up, walking to the bathroom with a sway of her hips as he followed his gaze to her and just as she was closing the door she winked and gave him a flying kiss and his blush deepened but he kept staring and she closed the door with a giggle.

"Umm Naruto-san can you sit up so I can check you up?" asked the nurse who was blushing a deep red herself seeing the interaction and saw that he didn't hear her and was still staring at the door. Chiyo saw this and her smile widened at seeing his tranced face.

"Naruto!" she asked shaking him a bit and he turned to her as she saw his glazed eyes and faint pink blush.

"Huh?" he whispered intelligently and she sighed shaking her head and the nurse giggled.

"This idiot doesn't think twice about battling two S-class ninja or fighting an army and look what effect Temari-hime has on him with just a touch. I swear she could kill him and he wouldn't even know it." She said tiredly as she slapped his head on the back harshly and he snapped out of it and glared at her.

"Hey what did you do that for?" he asked indignantly rubbing his head and she sighed.

"You really are hopeless when it comes to her aren't you?" she asked and he blushed and stuttered out a 'No' making her sigh and the nurse to laugh. They got onto him and he took off his shirt as Chiyo went about and worked on his torso slowly extracting the bit of poison that the demonic chakra had pushed towards the wounds and checked his other wounds and the nurse jotted everything down on the medical chart as Temari came out having brushed and washed her face as she had combed her hair into a single high ponytail coming to the middle of her waist and saw his naked torso and blushed a bit. Naruto caught her blush and grinned.

"Like what you see hime?" he said teasingly and she blushed harder and glared at the grinning blonde.

"Shut up you baka! Why would I be embarrassed that chest belongs to me…" she trailed off at his grinning face and the amused expressions of the two ladies and blushed harder as she glared at the snickering blonde making him laugh harder at her cute expression and she jumped him on the bed making him yelp.

"Now look what you made me say, now I'll show you!" she said and started tickling him as he giggled and was glad that Chiyo had closed up all his wounds and she was taking full advantage of it.

"Stop hime I'm sorry, I was just kidding it hurts…" he said laughing and she smiled and stopped as she laid on him and put a strand away from his face gazing into his eyes with a smile and a blush. He put his face in her neck and kissed it softly.

"I belong to you hime, why would you be embarrassed about that?" he whispered making her blush and she held his head tightly close to her and closed her eyes.

"I wasn't embarrassed I was just…" she trailed off as he grinned at her.

"Being teased?" he asked and she nodded. "Hai being teased…" she said innocently and trailed off as she realized what she had said and glared at him puffing her cheeks. Chiyo and the nurse saw that they were too caught up in their moment and left leaving their breakfast on the side table and closed the door behind them.

"You-you are so-so…" she trailed off wondering what to say as Naruto finished it off. "Cute?" he asked and she nodded sagely. "Hai Cute…" she trailed off as he laughed at catching her again and she growled and bit his neck softly making him gasp and giggle.

"I didn't know my kitten had fangs." He said chuckling as she blushed and buried her face in his neck and he laughed a bit as he brushed her ponytail and laughed at her obviously embarrassed hiding. She knew she couldn't beat him at teasing and sighed as she kissed his lips softly and gave him a heart-warming smile. She saw the breakfast beside the bed and smiled as she sat up and he pulled her on his lap and she put the tray over hers and started peeling an orange as she put a slice in his mouth and he bit her finger a bit making her glare and him giggle. She started peeling an apple and kept feeding him as he held her in his arms and his chin over her shoulder. Then she remembered the special day that was a couple of weeks from now and smiled.

"Naru-kun do you remember what it is two weeks from now?" she asked softly and he smiled and kissed her neck softly making her smile and rubbed her stomach softly making her feel fuzzy and warm there.

"Of course I do hime how could I forget, it is the day that I proposed my angel to be my girlfriend right?" he whispered softly and she smiled and rubbed his cheek and nodded.

"So what will you get me?" she asked timidly and he raised an eyebrow at her timid voice and knew that she wanted something and was too embarrassed to say it. He turned her around as she looked down playing with her kimono and he put his finger on her chin and brought her gaze to his eyes and smiled at her warmly.

"What do you want hime?" he asked softly and she blushed and averted her gaze as he cupped her cheek and brought her face to him and pecked her softly.

"Tell me what do you want and I promise I'll make it happen." He said softly and she looked up with a blush.

"You promise to get me anything I ask for?" she whispered timidly looking at him nervously and he smiled and nodded.

"Really?" she asked timidly biting her lip as her blush turned a rosy pink and he kissed her forehead softly cupping her cheeks and smiled and nodded as she squeaked out something that he didn't hear.

"What was that hime?" he asked curiously and she again squeaked out something playing with her shirt and he smiled. It must be something truly embarrassing to her if she was acting this way. He brought her chin up with his finger and gave her a smile.

"Hime I can't get you what you want if you don't tell me properly." He said softly and she bit her lip and nodded.

"I want you." She whispered softly and looked down playing with her kimono and he tilted his head to the side in confusion.

"You already have me hime remember?" he asked and was confused as she shook her head.

"No I want you." She whispered softly again and he was confused at her demand not understanding a word. She looked up and he saw her eyes watering and her bottom lip quivering and now he grew worried. Whatever she wanted must be truly important to her he thought and cupped her cheeks with his hands and kissed her tears away softly.

"What do you want hime, tell me?" he asked softly and a tear rolled down her eye as she answered him.

"Marry me." She whispered softly with a sniff and his eyes widened in shock at her words and she saw his shock and tears rolled down her eyes as she buried her face in her hands and cried.

" _I'm such an idiot. I shouldn't have said that to him. A girl never asks a boy for marriage. He must be thinking I'm so stupid, I ruined everything. Please don't let him be angry…"_ her thoughts were cut off as he grabbed her hands and pulled her close in a passionate kiss and wrapped her up in his arms sitting her up in his lap and their lips moved in perfect sync. He ran his fingers on her waist feeling her every curve of her curvaceous figure and both opened their mouths at the same time and massaged each other's tongues connecting their mouths completely as he pulled off her hair band letting her flow and buried his hand in it and pulled her closer as she did the same pulling him closer by his neck and deepened the kiss. Both were lost in their own worlds as they broke off the most passionate kiss they had ever had and Temari saw that his eyes were glazed and she was still crying as he hadn't answered her.

"Naruto I…" she was cut off as he dove in again and captured her lips again pushing his tongue completely in her mouth and dominated her completely as she moaned when he pulled her closer by the waist and ran her fingers through his hair. He broke off both breathing heavily as she saw him gazing at her with a flush face and a swollen lower lip that she had bitten slightly and she kissed it softly and he grunted a bit in pain and pleasure and she licked it a bit cleaning the blood and was surprised as he captured her tongue in his lips and massaged it with his own making her moan and he broke off and she saw as a tear rolled down his eye and she was worried that she had hurt him when he again captured her lips and surprised her but she kissed him back equally lovingly trying to make up for her stupidity and thought that he must be putting out the pain he must be feeling at not fulfilling her request. He broke off the kiss and saw as she sniffed and pressed his lips this time so softly that she melted in the chaste kiss and almost had her orgasm from the pure and loving lip lock that he gave her and broke off as she saw his eyes that held all the love and warmth in the world for her and was transfixed with his gaze as she saw his lips move and words come out that took her breath away.

"When?" he whispered and her eyes widened as tears rolled down her eyes and he chuckled as she threw herself in his arms and wrapped his hime up in his arms safe from the world and into his warmth with a chuckle as he held the hysterically crying girl in his arms rubbing her back softly as she cried in his neck and cooed the girl softly and held her close to him. She cried in his arms for half an hour and broke off a bit as he still held her close and saw her sniffing and wiping her eyes as he saw her look so adorable with those red puffy cheeks and eyes and those small soft and supple lips that were a bit swollen from their intense kisses. He watched her wipe her eyes with the sleeve of her kimono and smiled as he cupped her face and wiped her nose with his hanky and she giggled a bit in that sweet melodic voice and he smiled and he pulled her close. He put her face in his neck and his chin on her head as she wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his neck pressing up against him and he held her by her waist rubbing it softly calming down her sniffing a bit. After ten minutes he saw her relax completely in his arms and pulled her off the hug a bit and she looked at him curiously.

"My hime is so adorable with those puffy cheeks and eyes." He cooed and she blushed in embarrassment at his voice as he treated her like a child and he giggled and kissed her forehead softly.

"And don't you feel embarrassed because no matter how dangerous you get you'll be my cute little hime forever." He said in a cooing voice and she giggled at his stupid words and started hitting his chest in giggles muttering baka.

"You idiot why couldn't you have just said yes. I was so scared that I had lost you. You complete baka baka baka …" she said hitting his chest with tears and he chuckled as he hugged her stopping her hits.

"And who's the baka really…" he asked and she looked at him curiously and looking so cute with that adorable face that he kissed her puffy cheek making her giggle. "… to think you thought that I would even have to think of that, we are engaged and I was the one who really rushed it not you my baka hime." He said chuckling as he saw her adorable face turn all the more red and she hugged him tightly to hide her embarrassment as he held her tightly with a laugh. They sat silently cuddling as Naruto asked a question that had been bugging him.

"Why did you ask for marriage so suddenly hime?" he asked and she sighed and buried her face further in his chest and he held her tightly.

"I-I'm scared Naru-kun." She whispered and he frowned at her answer but let her speak her heart out. "Why?" he asked gently and she stayed silent for a few moments then spoke up.

"Because of what happened during my time in Konoha." She whispered and his frown deepened and he tightened his hold on her.

"What happened in Konoha?" he asked softly though on the inside anger was bubbling up and he wanted to hear her answer.

"They tried to get me to marry the Uchiha for an alliance…" she whispered and the temperature of the room dropped a few degrees and his eyes turned cold.

"They what?" he asked in a low voice trying to reign in his temper and she hugged him tightly calming him down.

"They tried to force me into a political marriage with him and that bastard tried to flirt with me and eyed me like a piece of meat…" she whispered as killing intent flooded the room and Naruto was getting furious by the minute and she decided to calm him down. "… but Gaara refused completely and when they tried to trick us into an alliance that benefitted only them he told them off completely but Tsunade will come during the finals of the Chunin Exams for the final talks. Naruto I don't want to be forced with marriage to anyone besides you. I-I would k-kill myself if…" she was cut off as he gave her a gentle chaste kiss and rubbed her cheek softly.

"Hime I would tear that village along with that bastard if they even tried to lay a finger on you…" he said and she nodded as a tear rolled down her eye showing her fright and he hugged her close to him.

"Hime that Uchiha he didn't do anything to you did he?" he asked and she giggled and pecked him.

"As if that bastard could even touch me, I would castrate him with my blunt fan first before he made a move on me…" she said and he chuckled softly at her fiery temper knowing she was very much capable of carrying out the threat if needed.

"Hime you aren't doing this only because you are scared…" he was cut off as she looked at him with a hurt expression and he felt ashamed for asking such a question.

"Do you think so low of that I would…" she was cut off as he hugged her tightly stopping her.

"No, I don't want you to be forced into anything hime. I didn't mean it like that…" he said softly and she nodded in his chest and hugged him tightly.

"You didn't tell me when hime?" he asked playfully and she giggled and put her arms around his neck and her forehead against his and gazed at him lovingly.

"The same day you proposed me to be your girlfriend…" she whispered and he nodded and kissed her softly.

"Alright." He whispered back and she giggled like a schoolgirl making him confused as she spoke up softly hugging him.

"I'll loosen up that wallet of yours with a whole lot of shopping now. Let's see how much you've saved all these years' mister." She said and he smiled and kissed her neck.

"Shop all you want hime, but there is one thing that I will buy for you…" he said and she looked at him curiously and he smiled. "Your wedding dress, I have an idea for it in which my hime will most likely make my heart stop, so leave that to me alright?" he asked and she nodded with a smile.

"Alright then I'll choose your clothes and the rest we'll shop together. I'll do everything I have dreamed about and make it perfect." She said dreamily and he smiled and kissed her forehead softly.

"We'll make it perfect hime." He said and she nodded with a smile liking the way we sounded.

"So now you will have to change your name and reveal your heritage Naru-kun. I am going to be Temari Namikaze right?" she whispered softly and he nodded with a smile at the sound of her name.

"I was already going to reveal it as soon as I was up and about but I guess we'll do it at our wedding alright." he said and she nodded happily that he was going to take up his father's name and then she would get to be his wife.

An hour later the door slid open as he saw Gaara come in and gave him a smile as Gaara too smiled seeing the two cuddling and was followed by Kankuro who took a seat beside him.

"Uzumaki the council has been pretty happy with your work and has decided to give you a new position…" he said handing him the scroll and Naruto took it and unrolled it and his eyes widened as he read each line again and Temari too was stunned at the contents of the letter.

"Are you serious?" he asked and Gaara nodded as he stood up and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Naruto Uzumaki I Gaara no Sabaku, the Godaime Kazekage of Sunagakure no sato appoint you as the military commander of the village. Do you accept?" he asked and Naruto nodded with a smile.

"Hai Kazekage-sama!" he said formally and Gaara nodded and turned to Temari with a sad smile.

"Temari you will have to leave for the leaf village next week…" he was cut off as Naruto spoke up.

"I'm afraid that won't be possible Gaara…" he said confusing Gaara and he continued. "We put in a leave application for a month."" He said and Gaara glared at him.

"Uzumaki you know her mission, the council will need a very solid reason…" he was cut off as Naruto pulled her closer by her waist and kept his head on hers with a smile.

"We are getting married in two weeks Gaara." He said and Gaara stood there stunned with wide eyes but was broken out of his thoughts as they heard a thump behind them and turned around to see Kankuro on the floor unconscious and he sighed face palming and the blonde couple chuckled.

"I swear he won't live long if you keep doing this." He said with a sigh and turned back to them with a smile.

"Alright that is a good enough reason but she will still be in charge of the preparations as well as the liaison for the dignitaries in the finals, that I cannot help her with but your leave I will get approved." He said and Naruto nodded with a smile.

"Congratulations are in order then." He said and they shook hands as Gaara hugged him shocking the two of them and looked at Naruto with a smile.

"The family just got bigger." He said and Naruto and Temari nodded with a smile as he picked Kankuro up with his sand and went out giving them the privacy but Naruto stopped him.

"Gaara I will reveal my heritage at the marriage ceremony and take up my father's name." he said and Gaara nodded.

"The council already knows since most of them were veterans and recognized your fighting style from the last battle, it's about time too." He said and Naruto chuckled as he walked out with an unconscious Kankuro in tow.

* * *

 **One Week Later…**

* * *

Naruto was released from the hospital having been fully healed and up and running as he walked with his hime wrapped up against his arm through the village streets as they entered another shop for some marriage decorations. He watched as Temari went through every little detail she wanted and he just stood back answering her questions every once in a while and paying for everything. The council had happily approved of the marriage leave and Gaara had sent a message to Konoha letting them know of the absence of Temari and had apologized for the inconvenience and Tsunade had made Shikamaru the complete in charge for the first two parts of the exams.

The whole village was in buzz as they heard their favourite couple announcing their marriage and were eagerly waiting for the ceremony to happen though there were many broken hearts among both the male and female population. Naruto watched as the men looked on in jealousy at him while the women were giving the same glances to his hime and were blushing at him and he sighed as he watched Temari going on happily about the various plans of the marriage, half of which went through his head but he tried to listen and understand everything she said and gave her a small kiss every now and them making her beam and more enthusiastic. He himself couldn't wait to finally have his hime as his wife and a chance to start a loving and happy family in a village that respected and accepted him completely.

* * *

 **Meanwhile in Konohagakure no sato…**

* * *

Tsunade sat in her office as she read the scroll from Suna and grinned as she called Shizune and she came in and saw the smile on her face and knew she was up to something.

"Get me Shikamaru Nara Shizune." She said and Shizune nodded as she called for him and fifteen minutes later the lazy ass Nara entered the office lazily with a yawn.

"You called Hokage-sama?" he asked with a yawn and she twitched at his laziness but then smiled.

"Yes Shikamaru I did. You see I just got a message from the Sand village saying that Temari has been granted a leave due to some personal important things in her life and their council has approved it." She said with a smile and he looked at her curiously.

"Then how will she help me with the first two parts of the Exams?" he asked and he smile widened.

"She won't." she said and his eyes widened in disbelief. "You don't mean…" he saw cut off as Tsunade spoke up.

"Chunin Shikamaru Nara you been hereby given the complete authority for the first two phases of the Chunin Exams while the third part shall be taken care of by Temari completely. So I suggest you get to work." She said grinning at his stunned face and after a moment Shikamaru sighed.

"Troublesome blondes." He said and Tsunade's eye twitched.

"You want some extra duties too I presume then…" she asked sweetly and he sighed again.

"Troublesome." He said and Tsunade developed a tick mark on her head as she threw the bottle of sake at him and he dodged and ran off as he heard a shout.

"NOW GET TO WORK BEFORE I GET MY HANDS ON YOU, YOU LAZY ASS!" he heard and walked out with a sigh as he bumped into the person he least expected to and gazed at the curious eyes of the last precious Uchiha.

"Hey Shikamaru I was just looking for you." Said Sasuke and Shikamaru sighed as he yawned and wondered how he would get all the work done on his own.

"What do you want Uchiha?" he asked in a dismissive tone as Sasuke twitched but shrugged it off as he looked behind him.

"So where's Temari, I thought she was with you to help in the preparations of the first two phases of the Exams." He asked curiously and Shikamaru sighed.

"She isn't coming to the leaf for the first two phases and has been granted a leave by her village for some reason and will complete the preparations of the last phase all on her own." He said and Sasuke frowned.

" _Damn it, there goes my chance to win her with my charm and make her mine. But oh well I'll swipe her off her feet in the finals then."_ He thought in glee as he imagined the Suna princess falling in his arms and her beautiful body in his arms and saw Shikamaru staring at him blankly and coughed as he shook off his thoughts and realized he had spaced out.

"Oh well then I suppose that you have a lot of work to do then…" he said and Shikamaru suddenly had an idea.

"No you are lucky I found you here Uchiha, Tsunade-sama just ordered me that you will be helping me for the final phase of the exams and now it saves me time to find you. I volunteered you myself." He said and Sasuke frowned.

"And why the hell would I waste my time with that stupid stuff…" he was cut off as Shikamaru spoke up.

"Oh I just thought how much you wanted to win Temari over and how she would be so grateful that you took her place and organized the exams so well in her stead." He said as he saw the smile and look of dreaminess on his face and smirked.

" _Hook, line and sinker… and that's checkmate Uchiha."_ he thought laughing in his mind as he saw Sasuke break out of his thoughts and nodded.

"Alright Nara we will organize this as best as possible and with the perfection of an Uchiha, then Temari will realize how much I want her to be mine." He said and Shikamaru nodded as he saw Sasuke go in to ask Tsunade to make it official.

" _He is so easy to manipulate. No wonder he went to be Orochimaru's bitch so easily."_ He thought shaking his head as he followed him inside and had removed the burden from him completely courtesy of an easily manipulated and stupid Uchiha.

* * *

 _ **Author's notes : There is the next chapter and I thank you for the great response for the story. I really appreciate that readers like my story so much and please keep reviewing and I'll try and keep the updates as frequent as possible. So next time will be the marriage of our favourite blonde couple and we move closer to the finals of the Chunin Exams and the confrontation. So until next time keep reading and reviewing Ja Ne ;)**_

* * *

 _ **PS : Please check out my other stories and review them if you like them too 'kay ;)**_


	13. Chapter 13

**Naruto : Desert Flower**

* * *

 **NOTE : This chapter contains heavy sexual scenes and lemons so please do not read if it makes you uncomfortable after the warning Lemon Starts, though there is no Yaoi/Yuri**

* * *

 **(Timeskip One Week later)**

* * *

 **Sunagakure no sato**

* * *

A week had passed and the Sabaku estates were bright and fully decorated as the day the whole village, the Sabaku family and especially our two favourite blondes had been waiting for had finally arrived. The whole open area of the compounds were decorated with some of the most expensive food from the village lined up on the tables to the sides. There was a special stand to the side that had been kept covered for later and was to be opened by someone specifically. Kankuro stood at the entrance of the compounds for the first time in a normal suit and without makeup as he welcomed the guests to the wedding ceremony with a smile. Temari had specifically threatened him not to wear any makeup or bring any of his dolls to her wedding or only Kami herself would save him from her wrath. Needless to say he hadn't argued to any of those points even though he thought it was war paint and battle puppets inwardly and thought they were really cool.

* * *

 **Naruto and Temari's bedroom…**

* * *

"Ahh Naru-kun…" moaned Temari as Naruto captured her lips and was laid on over her completely pressed on her. She had her hand in his hair pulling him in and the other on his neck while he had her waist straddled and his hand in her open hair as he pushed his tongue in and their tongues battled for dominance and he gave her a lip lock again as he broke off breathing heavily and saw the flush face of Temari and her rosy pink blush as he kissed her cheek softly and buried his face in her neck and kissed it softly making her smile and snuggled in her arms. She giggled softly as he looked at her curiously and she wrapped her arms around his neck and their foreheads touched as she gazed at him lovingly and with a bit of longing as she bit her lip softly.

"Today is the day Naru-kun, and here we are making out instead of getting ready for the wedding." She whispered softly and he chuckled as he gave her a soft kiss on the lips and rubbed her cheek softly.

"And when have we been a normal couple hime?" he whispered softly and she giggled in her melodic voice that warmed his heart and made him smile.

"Are you nervous?" she asked with a blush and he nodded with a smile.

"Hai." He said honestly and she looked at him with a worried glance.

"Why?" she asked gently and he smiled as he kissed her forehead softly and gave her a heart-warming smile.

"Today is the most special day of my life, the day I complete the dream that I have had since I was a child. Have a loving wife to hold, who would be at my side no matter what and spend my life with her. I know that it is even more special to you, and I don't want anything to go wrong. I want it to be the most special day of our lives and one which we remember forever with smiles on our faces." He answered honestly and softly and she smiled as he washed all her nervousness away and kissed him softly and rubbed his whiskers making him lean into her touch as she smiled.

"Don't worry, the most important thing is that I have you by my side. It will be the most special day of our lives and everything will be perfect as long as I'm with you. You want to be with me too don't you?" she whispered softly and he smiled warmly and nodded as she saw the love his eyes held as he spoke up.

"I won't exchange the chance of being with you for anything in the world hime." He said softly and she kissed him softly and nodded with a smile as Naruto sat up and put her on his lap brushing her hair softly as she kept her head on his shoulder and sighed happily. Suddenly there was a knock on the door.

"Uzumaki, the guests are arriving already. Get ready, you guys are about to be married anyway. Fool around later." Came the stoic voice of Gaara and Naruto sighed and Temari giggled with a blush hearing his voice and words then got up from his lap as she re-did her hair in a high ponytail and turned to him with her hands on her hips and a mock glare with a playful smile on her face as she tapped her feet and looked at him an angry mother though the ever present blush took most of the effect off, making her look all the more adorable in his opinion.

"And where is my dress mister, you better not have forgotten it." She said in mock anger and he smiled at her as he walked to the closet and pulled out a wrapped package in an elegant wooden box as he walked to her and put in her arms as she clutched it to her chest softly and Naruto smiled as she looked at him lovingly.

"You'll love it hime, I promise." He said softly rubbing her cheek and she smiled with a faint pink blush and nodded as she hugged him tightly and he wrapped her up in his arms with a soft chuckle.

"Now where are my clothes hime, or should I come out in my boxers?" he asked playfully and she giggled hitting his chest softly muttering baka and looked at him with a smile.

"And risk all the girls in the wedding jump you, you belong to me and me only mister." She said sternly and he nodded with an amused smile at her protective nature and obediently muttered a 'Hai' as she nodded with a small smile and walked to the bedside table and pulled out another elegant wooden box and handed it to him with a smile.

"You'll love it too koibito." She whispered softly and he took the box with a smile and nodded as she started to leave when arms wrapped arms wrapped around her waist from behind and pulled her close to a firm chest making her smile as Naruto put his chin on her shoulder and kissed her neck softly making her moan.

"I can't wait for tonight hime…" he purred in her ear making her shiver and blush a scarlet red as she looked down fiddling with her shirt as she whispered.

"H-Hai me t-too…" she whispered softly in embarrassment and he chuckled softly and kissed her cheek making her smile as their cheeks touched and he held her to him firmly and she melted in his arms.

"Naruto let me go I have to get ready too." She whispered half-heartedly not at all struggling or wanting him to let go and he smiled as he turned her around and hugged her as she hugged him back tightly. She was worried about his sudden silence as she felt a tear drop on her shoulder and tightened her hold on him.

"What's the matter love?" she asked in a worried and soft tone and he buried his face in her neck.

"Nothing, it's just that I'm too happy." He whispered and she smiled and nodded in his chest as he broke off the hug and let her go as she wiped his eyes with her sleeves and kissed his cheek softly with a blush and rubbed his whiskers softly.

"Get ready alright, I'll meet you in a bit." She said with a wink and went out as he chuckled and went to the room that Gaara used and saw him standing there stoically, his arms crossed and his eyes closed. He opened his eyes as he saw Naruto come in and his sand closed the door and locked the room as Naruto gave him a nod and he nodded back.

"So Uzumaki or should I say Namikaze, the day is finally here huh?" he asked and Naruto nodded with a smile.

"It is Gaara, I can't believe it's already been three years and I'm going to marry my hime." He said softly and Gaara nodded with a smile as he put a hand on his shoulder and he looked in his eyes to see the look of respect and admiration in the Godaime Kazekage's eyes as he spoke up.

"Naruto, you are the only one I would want to see my sister with and trust her with for life. You were always a part of our family but today even the formalities are completed. Keep her happy Naruto, that is all that I ask." He said and Naruto nodded smiling genuinely at his best friend.

"I love her more than anything Gaara. You know that I would give anything for her happiness. And I am happy that we are now officially a family Gaara." He said and Gaara smiled and nodded as he hugged him shocking the blonde who hugged him back and Gaara stepped back and Naruto was shocked as a tear rolled down his eye.

"Keep her happy." He said and Naruto nodded with a smile as they shook hands.

"Alright I'll let you get ready then, hurry up before the guests start throwing a tantrum." He said and both chuckled as he walked out and Naruto opened the box and was wide eyed at what his hime had bought for him and smiled as he put the clothes on.

* * *

 **In the compounds…**

* * *

Kankuro, Gaara and Baki were welcoming the guests to the seats as they all saw the arrangements. Naruto and Temari had insisted that it be a small affair between close friends and important people only with Gaara agreeing whole heartedly in the matter. He saw as all the guests were seated and Kankuro walked into the house to fetch the blonde whiskered hero with Matsuri doing the same for Temari.

A few moments later they saw as Naruto walked down and the whole crowd's breath was caught in their throats as they saw the blonde coming down the aisle with Kankuro in tow. He wore a simple blue shirt with exquisite embroidery of navy blue flames at the bottom with the same navy blue pants matching it. But the thing that caught their attention the most was the white cloak he wore over it. The cloak was just like his jacket with the blue flames adorned at its bottom and the same blue colour on the inside with golden patterns adorned in various parts of the cloak and a five pendant necklace that he wore on his neck. His blonde unruly hair came up to his eyes as he walked down the aisle with the confidence and an aura of power around him as all the men looked on at him with respect and red the vertical Kanji for 'Second Flash' written in blue on the back of his cloak as he stood at the aisle of the ceremonial altar and waited for his hime to come.

His breath hitched as he saw his hime come down the aisle with her hair done in a loose bun with a gold pin and a ruby at the end of it and two bangs adorning her face. He watched the pure white kimono with the same blue lilies at the bottom of the kimono that ended at her thighs showing her toned legs that were covered with white stockings from down the knees and white heels on her feet. He watched her face as she only had the light pink lipstick on her lips and the little eye liner and blushed eyelashes as her mouth was covered with a small translucent white veil. He couldn't even begin to compliment how beautiful she looked as he saw the stares of lust the men were giving her and unconsciously leaked killing intent at them as they gulped and shook their heads with Gaara doing the same as they both looked at each other and smirked.

Temari blushed at their reactions and was flattered that he had remembered the kimono she had worn on her first date. It was the same design her mother had once worn on her wedding and her blonde baka had gave her the dream she always had to wear that on her wedding. She saw his blush on his cheeks and the loving gaze and smiled at him under her veil herself blushing as she saw him look so drop dead gorgeous in that attire she chose for him. She licked her lips a bit as she imagined what she would have to do when they got alone and shook off the thoughts as she felt nervousness take over when she reached the aisle on the altar and stood beside him with the desert lily bouquet in her hands as both turned to Gaara who nodded at them both.

"You look wonderful sister." He said and she nodded smiling under her veil and nodded as she looked at her to be husband and both looked into each other with all the love they could muster and back at Gaara who smiled and cleared his throats getting everyone's rapt attention.

"We are joined her today to witness the holy matrimony of our two loving lovebirds…" he said as all of them chuckled and Temari looked down in embarrassment as she spoke up.

"Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze, do you take Temari no Sabaku to be your lawfully wedded wife? Do you promise to be true to her in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love her and honour her all the days of your life?" he asked Naruto who smiled and nodded.

"I do." He said and Gaara nodded and turned to Temari with a smile.

"Temari no Sabaku, do you take Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze to be your lawfully wedded husband? Do you promise to be true to him in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love him and honour him all the days of your life?" he asked Temari who smiled and nodded.

"I do." She said and Gaara nodded as he spoke to the crowd.

"Is there anyone who has any reason for which he shall want to stop this marriage under the witnesses Kankuro no Sabaku and Matsuri Yukata should speak now." He asked the crowd who smiled and shook their head in unison and he nodded and turned to the couple in front of him.

"The bride and the groom may exchange their vows." He said as Naruto went first.

"With this ring, I give you my promise that from this day forward I will give you all my love, and you shall not walk alone. I have no greater gift to give. As your love is my anchor, and your trust is my strength, may my heart be your shelter and my arms be your home. As this ring has no end or beginning, so shall my love for you be. As I place it on your finger, I give you all that I am, and all that I shall become. I will love forever and beyond my love." He said as he took the ring that he gave her for the engagement from Kankuro and slipped it into her finger and she went next.

"I Temari no Sabaku, take you baby-faced one to be my husband, my friend, my lover, my tormentor, my companion in life and my instigator in trouble. I will love you unconditionally, support you in your goals, honour and respect you, without TOO much sass (except on Fridays). I promise to love you faithfully through perfect times and the merely fabulous times, regardless of how often you are ADD boi. I hereby promise to resist the urge to beat your ass when you are difficult to get out of bed. In the presence of our family and friends who insisted on bloody tagging along, I offer you my solemn vow to be your Brat in sickness and in health, despite your Nancy boi whining. In good times and in bad, and in joy as well as in sorrow, I give you my trust, my love and my soul. I will forever and ever be yours and even the times beyond my love." She said and he smiled as she took the new platinum ring matching her own and slipped it into Naruto's finger and both turned to a smiling Gaara as the heard the 'awws' and 'so cute' from the background and ignored it as he nodded.

"So through the mutual consent of this loving couple in front of the eyes of everyone present her, I Gaara no Sabaku the Godaime Kazekage of Sunagakure no sato declare Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze and Temari no Sabaku husband and wife. May Kami bless your marriage and your love stand strong through the rifts of life. You may kiss the bride." He said and Naruto smiled and walked up to his hime who looked at him and wrapped her arms around his neck as he removed the veil and saw her shining pink lips and lowered his own as he captured them in a deep and loving kiss and the whole crowd stood up and clapped brightly as Gaara smiled and held Kankuro by the shoulder who was releasing streams of tears and crying heavily. They broke of the lovely lip lock and saw the faint blushes on each other's face as they kept their foreheads together and gazed at each other lovingly.

"I love you." Naruto whispered and she smiled as she pecked him softly.

"I love you more." Temari whispered and he smiled as he broke the hug a bit hesitantly and Naruto held her close by the waist as she kept her head on his shoulder and both walked down into the crowd with Gaara as they greeted the guests as all of the clan heads and council members along with the important people and many simple civilians who Naruto and Temari knew greeted them and handed them their presents wishing them a happy marriage as Naruto and Temari smiled and met each other when Gaara clinked a glass gathering everyone's attention as they all looked at him.

"Alright the food has been served. There are delicacies of the best chefs from all over the elemental nations but there is one stand that you all must have seen is still covered. This was arranged by my sister especially for her newly-wed husband as a surprise and I request the couple to please come forward so that we could unveil it to the person it was intended for." He said and Temari smiled and pulled a bit confused Naruto to the front who looked completely lost as she smiled at him and kissed him softly and he kissed her back as he looked at her curiously.

"Hime, what have you arranged for me as a surprise no less?" he asked and she smiled as she took the small scissors from Kankuro and cut the small ribbon on the cloth as it fell and the stand was unveiled and Naruto gasped as he read the board and looked at the two chefs in front of him.

ICHIRAKU'S RAMEN was displayed proudly in front as Teuchi and Ayame smiled at their favourite blonde fondly as Teuchi called the stunned boy breaking him out of his stupor.

"Yo Naruto my boy congratulations on bagging such a beautiful angel. Now come on sit down. Tonight the Ramen is on the house." He said as the whole crowd chuckled and Naruto's eyes watered as he moved around the stand and hugged the both of them happily. These were the ones who had hidden him from mobs and fed him when he had no money. The father and daughter smiled and hugged their whiskered blonde boy back happily as he sobbed.

"I'm glad you two are here. It wouldn't have been the same without you Ayame nee-chan and especially you Teuchi Ji-san." He said and both smiled warmly as Teuchi broke of the hug and chuckled whole heartedly.

"Look at you, these desert people don't know how to feed my boy. Let's get that solved. Now sit down and let's have you some of that Naruto special ramen you always used to have." He said and Naruto and everyone chuckled as Temari watched their interaction fondly. She had requested them to come here and had arranged everything for them in the village with a restaurant in the most popular part of the shopping district with the help of Gaara.

"So many would you like kid. Hope you haven't lost the touch." Asked Teuchi as he started boiling ramen and Ayame giggled while Naruto chuckled happily. Didn't this bring back memories he thought.

"Keep them coming old man, it's been a while since I had the food of the gods." He said and Teuchi chuckled as Temari sat beside him.

"That's my boy." He said as he worked on his ramen and Ayame turned to the happy guests.

"Would anyone of you like to eat ramen tonight. I know it's not a thing for marriages but we will serve anyone if they want." She asked and everyone nodded and raised their hands as Temari and Naruto chuckled while Teuchi laughed whole heartedly while Ayame sweat dropped as she started noting down the orders.

"Now people here know how to eat real food." He said and all of them chuckled as they too wanted to eat what the groom and their hero was so infatuated with.

"Thank you Mari-chan you gave me the best surprise I could have asked for." He said and she smiled and nodded.

"I've arranged a restaurant and their living needs here love. Now Ichiraku's belongs to Suna along with its number one customer." She said softly and his eyes widened as he saw the old man nod and hugged her tightly saying thank you and she giggled and hugged him back as she watched him eat ramen and ate herself. This was the most unusual delicacy any wedding must have had she mused as she watched the happy faces of the guests and thought that their business would certainly boom here, especially with her ramen loving blonde teddy by her side. They all laughed and ate ramen as the other chefs started helping Teuchi and the waiters helped Ayame as it was a wedding where only ramen ruled supreme. The whole crowd of guests started moving out as Naruto, Temari, Gaara, Kankuro waved them off and thanked them for coming as Gaara turned to Naruto and pulled out a small box as Naruto took it with a raised eyebrow and Gaara smiled.

"That's our present to you two. I certainly do hope so that you'll like it." He said and Naruto and Temari looked at each other and smiled as Temari hugged her two baby brothers and thanked them kissing their cheeks as they blushed in embarrassment making the blondes chuckle as Naruto opened it and saw a pair of keys with a small note and opened it to find an address that was just beside their house, actually it was their front house and Naruto looked at him confused and Kankuro and Gaara grinned.

"Yo blondie we don't want to hear any more noises tonight and sleep peacefully. So go on and break the new bed at your new house now." Said Kankuro and Temari blushed at his words but let it slide just for today as she hugged them both again and Naruto tried to say it was too much but Gaara said he would have none of it. Gaara and Kankuro waved them off as they walked to the empty house in front of them and Naruto opened the door to the house as they stepped in the mansion. Naruto saw it was a traditional old Japanese two story house with lots of open space and walked in as they explored the living room and the kitchen as well as the various other rooms and saw the garden with a small koi pond in the middle. They moved upstairs and opened the master bedroom as Naruto saw the king sized bed and the closet as well as the bedside table and thought it must have cost Gaara quite a bit, since this was the most expensive part of the village's clan grounds.

* * *

 **Lemon starts…**

* * *

Then his eyes landed on his hime as he saw her looking at a painting and smiled as he pulled off the cloak and hung it in the closet as he moved behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her neck softly as he rubbed her stomach making her feel warm and fuzzy and she turned around in his arms as she looked up into his eyes and saw the love and adoration in his eyes and moved up as her eyes were half closed as their lips touched and they broke off as if current passed through them. They moved towards each other again as their lips touched for a moment and they broke off as they went in again and this time the kiss was longer and Naruto's eyes became half closed as he cupped her cheek and captured her lips in a lip lock. Their lips moved in perfect sync as she wrapped her arms around his neck and he ran his hands across her waist feeling every inch of her hour glass figure making her moan in the kiss as they broke off breathing a bit heavily and dove right back in as Naruto pushed her on the bed and got on top of her all the while kissing her small soft pink lips and she brought her hand on his neck pulling him closer and ran her fingers through his hair. He licked her bottom lick softly and she opened her mouth instantly giving him access as she moved her tongue around his massaging it while he dominated her and hungrily explored her caverns and broke off as Naruto looked at her with glazed eyes and saw her breathing heavily and flushed face and those lovely soft swollen pink lips as he pressed his lips on her softly and broke off as he cupped her cheek and she leaned into his hand closing her eyes.

He smiled as he kissed her cheek softly and pulled off the hair pin holding her hair and threw it aside as it fell on the floor unceremoniously with a clang. He ran his fingers through her hair grabbing a fistful of them gently and pulled her head back as he placed his lips on her neck kissing it softly as his pull gave him greater access and she moaned and her back arched as the voice of her soft moan escaped her lips.

"Ahh Naru-kun…" she moaned and he smiled as he licked and kissed her neck softly and moved up pressing his lips onto hers softly and looked at her lovingly. She was a bit confused as he was looking at her a lot.

"What's the matter love?" she asked softly rubbing his whiskers and he smiled and leaned into her hand making her smile.

"You look so beautiful, just let me look at you tonight." He said softly and she smiled and leaned up and pecked him softly wrapping her arms around his neck and smiled at him warmly.

"Make love to me." She whispered softly and he looked at her for but a moment to see any doubts and saw none as she placed her hands on the buttons of his shirt and started opening them slowly and pulled it off gently as she threw it aside and kissed his lips softly and pulled off as he tried to deepen it and kissed his neck softly trailing her lips on him and he grunted in pleasure as he closed his eyes and she ran her hands on his ripped chest and his breathing hitched as he pulled her closer by her waist and let her do what she wanted. He felt so good as he felt her lips on him and watched her as she moved up and nibbled his ear softly capturing it in her teeth and licked it as he grunted in pleasure.

"Hime…" he grunted and she smiled as she heard his pleasure filled voice and pressed her lips on his and licked his lips softly as he opened his mouth and she pushed her tongue in his mouth and their tongues battled as she dominated the kiss. They broke off after a couple of minutes as she saw him looking at her lovingly and watched him go down as he pulled her kimono a bit up and licked the inside of her thigh softly and her back arched in pleasure.

"Ahh Naru-kun yesss…" she moaned as he licked and kissed her thigh and caught the edge of the stockings in his teeth and the other with his hand as he pulled them off slowly and sensually looking at her as she looked down with a blush and threw them aside as he licked and kissed his way up softly trailing kisses on her right leg and moving his hand feeling her left leg with his free hand and she moaned as she threw her head back as she felt him feeling her legs and move up as his head moved into the bottom of her kimono and she pulled his head by his hair as he kissed her inside of the thigh softly.

"Ahh Naru-kun it feels so good…" she moaned as he stopped and pulled away and she looked at him disappointed when placed his lips on her neck and moved up licking and kissing softly and he nibbled her in his teeth and licked it softly as he whispered in her sensually.

"Don't be so hasty love, I'll make love to you tonight. Slowly and softly till the morning." He whispered and she blushed as her spine shivered as he licked her ear and slowly blew his breath on her ear softly and pressed his lips on hers softly and gave her a loving lip lock as she moaned in pleasure and ran her lips on his own as she cradled his head in her arms and pulled him closer. He broke off and she felt his hands on the obi of her kimono as she had her arms around his neck. He looked for any hesitation as he started opening the obi and looked at her loving gaze as the white silk belt fell on both sides and her pure white cotton bra and panties came into view as she slowly pulled off her arms and he lowered himself on his goddess and saw the rosy pink blush on her face as she fiddled with her legs and tried to cover herself with her arms as he caught her wrists and pressed his lips onto hers softly and broke off looking at her lovingly.

"Don't. Let me look at my princess completely." He whispered softly as she nodded and brought her arms around his neck as he dove in for a kiss and she kissed him back equally passionately. He broke off and placed his lips on the sensitive skin of lower neck as she moaned softly and pulled him closer as she ran her hands on his firm naked back softly feeling his firm back and his form as he towered over her and she felt so safe in his arms. She felt his lips on her collarbone and moaned in pleasure as her back arched when he tickled her on her most sensitive spot with his lips.

"Ahh Naru-kun right there yesss…" she moaned and he smiled as he kept licking and kissing her as his hands ran on the insides of her thighs just above her soft white cotton panties as he felt his hands feel a bit wet and smiled as he felt her heard breath and gasps along the soft moans, she was really close. Temari felt his whole body press against her almost naked form and couldn't feel even a little cold as she took in his warmth and her stomach was starting to churn as she felt him massage the inside of her thighs just above where she wanted him and he had her wrists pinned above her head with one of his free hand and suddenly she felt his teeth graze on her skin and felt them embed in her as her eyes snapped open and the floodgates in her lower stomach snap open and she threw her head back in the pillow and her back arched as a scream cut across her throats.

"AHHH I'M CUMMING NARU-KUN!" she moaned loudly and Naruto felt his hand drench in her liquids as he looked at her flushed and panting face and her heavy blush as he smiled and brought his hand up and licked it softly as she pulled his head to her neck and buried him in her hug.

"Please don't do that, it's embarrassing." She said in a soft voice and he knew no matter how much she tried to make her seem, she was really shy when it came to these things in bed." He moved out of her hug and pressed his lips on her softly and smiled at her warmly.

"Nothing is embarrassing about it princess, just let me make love to you. Don't stop anything, I promise you I'll make you feel really good." He whispered softly and she smiled and nodded as he suddenly chuckled softly and started licking his hand clean again and she blushed but didn't stop him. He pulled off the last lick and looked at her with a small smile.

"Plus, my hime tastes really good." He whispered sensually and she blushed and buried her face in his chest from the embarrassment. He chuckled as he rubbed her hair softly and hugged her kissing the top of her head softly as she broke off and tried to glare at him for his teasing but the heavy blush made her look extremely cute instead and he smiled at her softly as he kissed her on the lips and she tasted herself a bit but didn't mind it in the least as she saw him break off and his hands travel around her back softly and his lips move down her throat and into the valley of her breasts as he kissed her softly there and his hands stopped on the lock of her bra as he unclipped it and she raised her back a bit as he pulled it off and threw it aside as towered over her and looked at her beautiful high C- borderline D perfectly round and firm breasts and those pink supple nipples as she tried to cross her arms around her chest and he caught her wrists and pinned them on either side of her as he looked at her nervous face and gave her a soft smile.

"Are you nervous?" he asked gently and she nodded and squeaked out a 'Hai' making him smile.

"Are you scared?" he asked softly and she looked into his eyes lovingly as she whispered 'No' and he smiled and pecked her softly.

"Then why do you hide yourself from me?" he asked gently and she bit her lip and looked at him with a blush. "You are really too beautiful, you know that hime?" he asked and she blushed harder as he moved his lips down to the edge of her breasts and pressed his lips on the soft mounds of flesh and moved to the pink supple nubs as he kissed it softly and she squirmed her wrists and he let her go when she put her hands on his head and pulled him closer making him smile. He opened his lips and captured the nub in them as he suckled and pulled on them like a child and she moaned softly as he ran his tongue on the pink nub making it starting to get harder as he pulled, licked and suckled on her breast like a new born child and caught her other breast in his hand and gave it a soft squeeze as she moaned and grabbed his hair and pulled him to the other breast and he captured the supple nub again and suckled on it as her back arched in pleasure and her stomach churned as he grabbed both of her breasts and squeezed them gently and kneaded them as he suckled on her nipple until it hardened and kept switching between her breasts as her back arched in pleasure.

"Yesss Naru-kun keep going, I'm so close…" she moaned and he kept sucking and kneading on her breasts switching and giving them the same treatment as if milking her as she gasped and moaned when he grazed his teeth on them. Finally, her walls tightened as Naruto felt her thrashing around and pinned down her waist as he bit her nipple softly and pinched the other one in his thumb and index finger and her head thrashed around as her release came.

"NARU-KUN I'M CUMMING!" she moaned as her second orgasm his her and she fell back and panted as she felt a bit light headed from the intense pleasure and saw him looking at her with a smile letting her catch her breath as she saw him move down to her entirely drenched panties and saw him capture the helm of her panties in his teeth and pull them down as she raised her hips and he pulled them down and threw them to the side on top of the pile of clothes and moved up as he put his hands and legs on her sides and looked at her from top to bottom. He saw her eyes and her heavily pink cheeks and his eyes travelled down to those swollen soft pink lips and looked down to her perfect breasts that shone a bit and her hard nipples that he had taken care of just now and then finally down the completely shaved prize between her well-toned legs and was startled as she pulled him in a hug and held him tightly.

"Please don't stare, I feel nervous." She whispered in a vulnerable and soft tone and he nodded and kissed her neck softly.

"Alright, now let's taste that delicious nectar right from the source." He whispered and she was confused as he moved down and buried his face between her legs and she blushed as she closed her legs tightly and he smiled as he put his mouth in between the legs and started kissing the top of her prized nether regions and she moaned as she pulled him closer and her voice betrayed her pleasure filled instincts.

"No Naru-kun, please not there…" she pleaded as he forced her legs open and saw her wet pink lips that hadn't even flowered yet as he gazed up and saw her biting her lip and looking at him nervously and he smiled at her for assurance and moved his head down and placed his lips on her puffed up pussy lips and kissed them softly as he took in her scent and placed a small lick on her pink pussy and she moaned in pleasure and grabbed a fistful of his hair and pulled him closer closing her eyes shut tightly from embarrassment as he smiled and started licking her softly and gently and she moaned as he suddenly pushed his tongue in and caught her swollen clit in his teeth and her back arched in pleasure as he licked the bud in between his teeth softly.

"Yesss Naru-kun like that keep going…" she moaned and he smirked and kept licking and exploring her inner walls as he felt her getting wetter by the second and felt her walls tightening as it got hard for him to move his tongue inside her but her kept going and finally her stomach churned as he bit her clit and gave it gentle fast licks and her eyes snapped open as her head thrashed around left and right and he kept her waist in his iron grip and she screamed in ecstasy.

"OH GOD YESSS I'M CUMMING LOVEEE…" she screamed as she released her fluids and he lapped up her juices and licked her clean making her moan softly in between pants and moved up as he pressed his lips against hers and was surprised as she suddenly moved her tongue in forcefully and dominated him in the kiss and he grunted in pleasure as she broke off and he looked at her in lust filled eyes. He removed his pants and boxers and threw them on the pile of clothes as she saw his ten inch fully erect member and he lowered himself on her as she tried to move down to return the favour as he caught her shoulders and she looked at him confused.

"But Naru-kun you did it for me…" she was cut off as he put his finger on her lips shutting her up.

"You don't like doing it do you?" he asked gently and looked at her lovingly and she bit her lip and didn't answer as he smiled.

"But you did it for me…" she was cut off as he pressed his lips on hers and broke off as he cupped her cheek and looked at her lovingly brushing it with his thumb.

"I did it because it will make it easier when we move forward and a lot less painful for you love, and I love doing it. Don't force yourself into anything, let me just love you tonight." He said softly and she smiled and nodded as she wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled warmly.

"Make me yours love." She whispered softly and he nodded as he stroked his member and rubbed it against her wet pussy lubricating it and looked at her biting her lip as she trembled a bit and he pulled her in for a hug and she cried in his hug.

"I'm scared Naru-kun. What if it hurts?" She whispered sobbing and he held her close rubbing her back softly as he cooed the crying girl.

"Shh, it's alright." He whispered as he calmed her down and she looked at him with puffy cheeks and sniffed as he smiled and kissed her tears away softly making her smile. He cupped both of her cute puffy cheeks in his hands and looked at her lovingly.

"Do you love me?" he asked and she nodded.

"Do you trust me?" he asked and she nodded yet again.

"I'll be as gentle as possible love. It will hurt a lot at first, but I'll take it all away don't worry. It'll feel really good after the little pain, we'll become one tonight love." He whispered softly and she nodded with a sniff and smiled as she kissed him softly.

"Thank you my blonde teddy, you always take my fears away." She said softly and he smiled and nodded.

"All your fears are mine and my happiness is yours love." He said softly and she smiled and nodded as he guided himself to the entrance of her pussy and rubbed his tip on her lips as he looked at her nervous face and biting lip as he captured her lips and pushed himself in slowly as his head was engulfed in her and she gasped in pleasure and moaned. He knew she hadn't ever done anything to relieve herself that way and had just fooled around with him a bit and was a pure virgin, which would make it even more painful for her. He kept his lips on hers softly kissing her as he pushed himself inch by inch in her and she felt really good as he engulfed four inches of his shaft in and hit a barrier as she gasped a bit in the kiss from the little pain and he broke off the kiss as he looked at her gently.

"Now I will push in love, it'll hurt you but please bear with it. It'll pass in a few moments and then we'll move on." He said softly and she nodded as he pulled out till only his head was in and looked into her eyes and pushed himself in forcefully, slamming his hips onto hers and buried himself in to her to the hilt and she cried out in pain as a few drops of blood dropped and she screamed in pain.

"AHHH IT HURTS NARU-KUN! IT HURTS SO MUCH!" she screamed as tears streamed down her eyes and her nails embedded in his shoulders as she whimpered in his shoulder and he held her close to him brushing her hair and kissing her hair softly as she cried in his arms.

"Shh I'm with you my love, shh it's alright." He whispered and rubbed her back as she scratched his back and he winced but held her softly cradling her in his arms and was amazed at the vice grip her pussy had on his cock and how good it felt but concentrated on the crying girl as he kept still and held her close rubbing her back for ten minutes as she calmed down and was only sobbing a little bit. She moved her hips a bit and he looked into the eyes of the sniffing girl and kissed her softly.

"Does it still hurt hime?" he asked gently rubbing her cheek and she nodded as she spoke up.

"Yes, but it's a lot less. You can move now but please go slow." She said in a vulnerable voice and he nodded as he put his forehead on her and looked at her lovingly.

"I'll be as gentle as I can love, don't worry." He said softly and she nodded as he pulled it to his head and buried himself hallway as she winced in pain and he did it again slowly as he found a slow and nice rhythm and her wincing started turning into small gasps and slowly into soft sensual moans.

"Deeper love…" she moaned and he smiled at her pleasure filled voice and obliged as he buried himself deeper and started going through the same slow and deep hard rhythm as she moaned loudly and her body moved up and down and he captured his nipple in his lips suckling it softly and pulled and suckled it as she moaned and their hips slapped together as Naruto grunted in pleasure and kissed her neck burying himself in it and she pulled his head closer her eyes closed in pleasure as she heaved up and down from his thrusts.

"Yesss it feels so good love go faster ahh…" she moaned softly as he grunted and started picking up his pace as their hips slapped together and she spread her legs wider and pulled him in closer giving him access as he thrust himself harder and faster and grunted in pleasure.

"You're so tight love. Your pussy feels so good, my cock is melting in it now." He whispered in her ear huskily and she blushed and moaned from his hard and fast thrusts as he held her close.

"Yesss fuck me love, stretch my pussy oofff…" she moaned as he thrusted himself and nodded as he moved up and sat down spreading her thighs wider as he entered her again and caught her shoulder with one of his hands to pull her down as he started pumping his hips back and forth and she moaned in ecstasy as he found a new hard and fast thrusting rhythm and put his head down from the feeling her tight velvety folds were giving him as he gazed at his shining cock pistoning itself in and out of her covered in her fluids and the way her pussy was sucking it in and closed his eyes or he might release from the erotic scene as looked at her head fallen to the side and her eyes close with a small smile of pleasure as he watched her breast jiggle up and down and her body move and the sounds of their hips slapping and moans and grunts filled the room. He stopped as he put her legs together and bent them forward leaning down and started pumping her pussy hard and fast as she screamed in pleasure.

"Ohh god… yesss… love fuck me… like that, ravish my pussy…" she screamed as he grunted and pumped her as he watched her pleasure and lust filled face and kept humping her hard and fast. He couldn't believe how good her pussy felt, it beat the hell out of masturbation he thought and kept going like that for a few moments. He saw her breasts and licked his lips as he spread her legs again and leaned down and suckled them and kneaded them as he went through a slow and sensual pace and she felt him ravish her, completely feeling her and she loved it. It made her feel complete as he moved up and kissed her and kept thrusting at that sensual pace as she felt her stomach churn from the fifteen minutes of sensual fucking and she moaned as she pulled his head to her neck and held him tightly close to her, safe in her arms.

"I'm so… close… ahh love…" she moaned softly and he grunted in pleasure as he too felt his balls churn from her sensual voice and whispered in her ear huskily.

"Me too… together love…" he whispered and she held his hair tightly as his thrusts became hard and fast from the sensual pace and she moaned as she felt her pussy starting to grip his cock tightly but he still kept pumping her like no tomorrow.

"Yesss… Naru-kun it feels so good baby…" she moaned softly as he grunted and kept his humping up and kissed her neck.

"Yesss… I'll cum in you love… I'll fill that pussy tonight…" he whispered huskily and she moaned as her stomach clamped from his whisper and the pleasure that he rocked her with and her pussy clamped down on his cock as she felt him bury himself deep in her and she moaned loudly.

"AHH NARU-KUN I'M CUMMING!" she moaned and Naruto grunted as he buried himself to the hilt when he felt his shaft feel the semen to the tip and held it down but lost it when her pussy tried to milk his cock and released his globs of cum deep in her pussy that sucked them all in.

"AHH HERE I CUM LOVE!" he screamed and release deep into her as a bit of it leaked from the sides of his hilt deep buried cock showing how much he released in her and fell forward as she caught him in her arms and held his head in her neck cradling it lovingly as both panted completely spent with satisfied smiles on their faces. She kissed the top of his head and smiled brushing his hair softly as both of their eyes drooped from exhaustion.

"I love you Naru-koi." She whispered softly and he smiled tiredly.

"I love you too Mari-hime." He whispered and both of their eyes closed and they dozed off with Naruto still buried in her pussy as the deep silence of the night claimed the loving newly-wed couple.

* * *

 _ **Author's notes : There is the next chapter and our favourite couple is now finally married and take the last step in their relationship and become one. I am really happy to say that this is one of the top 10 stories with the NaruTema pairing and it is still ongoing and I thank the readers for their love for my writing. Your reviews and responses keep me going. It took me a while to find the inspiration for the correct words for the wedding vows and now that is done. So let's see now how the plot moves forward and what adventures await our favourite blondes. So please if you like it and want to keep reading further then hit that review button even if it is two or three words it is still appreciated, until next time keep reading and reviewing Ja Ne ;)**_


	14. Chapter 14

**Naruto : Desert Flower**

* * *

 **NOTE : This chapter contains heavy sexual scenes and lemons so please do not read it within the warning of lemons, though there is no Yaoi/Yuri.**

* * *

 **(Timeskip Two Days before the start of the finals for the Chunin Exams and Two Weeks since Naruto and Temari's wedding)**

* * *

 **Sunagakure no sato**

* * *

Naruto woke up as the sunrays came in through the window and hit his face. He yawned and stretched his body when he felt something snuggle into his chest and gazed down. He looked at the free flowing hair of his blonde girlfriend, now wife and smiled. He kissed the top of her head and pulled her closer by her slender naked waist and let her cuddle up to him. They had enjoyed their first week of marriage a lot but then much to his charging her responsibilities for the finals had come up over her. He too had been working hard but not nearly as hard as her. She had to take care of everything, from the preparations, to the places where the dignitaries would stay, the official food stalls and betting areas. He had taken over her duties for the responsibility of security for the finals from her and Gaara, who too had been buried neck deep in paperwork. He rubbed her back softly as she turned around and he pulled her to his chest, making her back press against his firm chest. He put his cheek over hers and knew she was awake now and just playing to be asleep. He pressed his lips on her cheek softly and nibbled her ear softly in his teeth.

"You know if you are awake then you shouldn't act like you're asleep hime, let me see those pretty teal green pools of yours." He whispered softly and she smiled and opened her eyes with a cute yawn turning around in his arms and gazed into her husband's eyes lovingly.

"Hey you." She whispered softly making him smile and kiss her softly with a chaste kiss and brought her close hugging her. She snuggled in his arms and Naruto brought the blanket up covering their naked bodies up to their necks.

"So how have the preparations been going hime?" he asked and she sighed tiredly and pressed herself to him saying nothing making him chuckle softly.

"So it was that tiring huh?" he asked playfully and she nodded in his chest while he kept brushing her hair with his fingers.

"Please don't ask me about it. None of those idiots know anything to do without my guidance. Please tell me you took care of all the security measures nicely?" she asked softly and he nodded pecking her with a smile.

"Of course love, there's nothing to worry about. All the shinobi will be notified of their security protocols today by the ANBU and jounin commander personally. I kept everyone in the dark until the last moment so no leak could be made for any breach of security." He said and she smiled and hugged him happily. He heard the bell to the house ring and was surprised at the sudden interference.

"Were you expecting someone hime?" he asked and she shook her head innocently. He nodded and got up making her whine. He chuckled and captured her lips in a soft gentle kiss and rubbed her cheek softly.

"I'll see who it is alright hime." He said and she nodded pouting at the lack of her morning cuddles and he put on his pyjamas and walked out of the room and down the stairs. He opened the door and saw Matsuri standing there and was surprised at seeing her this early in the morning.

"Ohayo Matsuri, do you need something?" he asked politely and was confused at her blushing but realized he wasn't wearing a T-shirt and smiled in amusement at her staring. He waved his hand in front of her and she broke out of her stupor with her blush intensifying.

"Umm Namikaze-sama, Kazekage-sama wanted me to inform you and Temari-sama that she would have to welcome the dignitaries arriving today at noon. He also asked me if you have prepared all the security measures or not." she said politely and he nodded.

"Alright I'll inform Temari of the welcoming arrangements. Tell Gaara not to worry about the security arrangements, the plans will reach him at lunch on his desk. Tell him not to worry and handle all the other diplomatic stuff and leave this to me." He said in an authoritative voice and she bowed and nodded at the military commander of Suna in respect.

"Have you had breakfast Matsuri, would you like to come in?" he asked politely, his earlier authority now forgotten and she smiled and shook her head.

"No it's very generous of you Namikaze-sama but Kazekage-sama needs me with him today. I must decline." She said politely and he waved his hand dismissively and she left. He closed the door walking into the kitchen to prepare the breakfast. He started cutting the vegetables with precision when two arms snaked around his waist and his love hugged him from behind.

"Are you already bored of me, just after two weeks?" Temari asked in mock hurt and he brought her in front making her hold the knife and started cutting the vegetables putting his chin on her shoulder making her blush.

"How can I get bored of my hime, _especially when you were so amazing last night."_ He purred in her ear making her blush harder and she elbowed him with a giggle.

"Pervert." She said with a giggle and he chuckled kissing her neck.

"And you say that after your moans last night, especially when after the third time you moaned _"Please Naru-kun one more time ahh…"_." He teased whispering in her ear and she turned red like a tomato and turned around burying her face in his chest from embarrassment and he chuckled. He kissed her neck softly and brought his lips to her ear.

* * *

 **Small lemon ahead…**

* * *

"Go and prepare the bathtub, I'll join you in a few minutes." He whispered softly and she nodded in his chest and went upstairs while he put the finishing touches on the breakfast and kept the ready plates on the table walking to his room. He saw his T-shirt that she was wearing down on the floor along with her panties and smiled stripping off his pyjamas and stepped in the bathroom. He saw her with her back to him and her hair by her right shoulder making him smile. He got behind her keeping his hands on her shoulders as she moved a bit in front and he stepped in behind her, pulling her close to him. Both sighed happily together and Naruto ran his hands on her stomach softly and she melted in his arms. Naruto ran his hands through her waist and he felt himself getting hard as he took in the scent of beautiful sandy blonde hair.

Temari felt his hands running through her waist and feeling her, as she felt his hard member on her ass she gasped when she felt his hands on her breasts.

"Naru-kun, not now. I have to get ready for the…" she was cut off as he grabbed her breasts and picked her up. He kept her hands on the edge of the tub bending her over and lined his member to her pussy, leaning on her back pressing himself on her back and kissed her neck pinching her pink soft nipples softly making her moan in delight.

"I can't hold it anymore; I need you now. Don't worry I'll be quick." He whispered in her ear huskily and she knew from his voice how much he needed her. He slid in inch by inch, feeling her tight pussy sucking him in and groaned as he felt her tight walls clamp him down.

"Yes you're so tight hime, even after so many times how are you so tight…" he whispered in her ear making her blush and moan as she felt him filling her up with all his eight inches buried in her to the hilt.

"Yesss Naru-kun ahh… you're so big… always stretching me to the limits…" she moaned and he smirked and pulled out halfway and thrust in harshly making her back arch as he caught her close to him and started ravishing her neck and thrusting with a smooth fast rhythm feeling her tight pussy trying to suck him in each time he pulled out.

"Yesss… ahh fuck me Naru-kun… deeper love…" she moaned in delight as he obliged and started going deeper and faster making her moan louder in complete ecstasy. Naruto groaned as he felt her walls starting to tighten around his cock and thrusted harder not letting up his rhythm and the slapping sounds of their hips filled the bathroom completely.

"Naru-kun I'm so close… keep going… please like that yesss…" she moaned, her mind clouded in pleasure and Naruto kept pumping in and out of her and looked down to see her dripping fluids covering his shining cock as it pistoned in and out. He loved seeing them connected like that, he closed his eyes and threw his head back in pleasure as he felt his balls churn and his cock twitch violently in her. He pulled out till his head and bend a little as he thrust in and hit her G-spot making her eyes roll to the back of her head and he started pistoning in her pussy hitting it repeatedly.

"Oh gooodddd….. yyyeeesssss…." She moaned in pleasure feeling his pumping and dominating her body while he held her by her breasts and kept fucking her.

"I'm close love… I'll cum in your pussy… do you want it? Do you want me?" he asked huskily kissing her lips their tongues battling and she moaned in her kiss as she broke off.

"Yes together… come in me… fill me up…" she moaned in between his thrusts and he smiled hearing her longing voice and started pumping harder and faster as she buckled under his thrusts but he kept her firm in place. She felt her stomach churn and moaned in pleasure. Naruto felt her tightening and knew she was close. He wasn't faring good either. Finally, he pulled out till the last inch and thrust forward burying to the hilt as he hit her G-spot and Temari's dam broke as she screamed in pleasure.

"AHHH I'M CUMMING!" she moaned loudly and clamped down on his cock as Naruto's eyes rolled to the back of his head and he grunted his own release coming. He buried himself to the hilt and released thick ropes of his own load deep into her and caught her as felt a bit light headed from the last release and Naruto pulled himself out and turned her around gently in his arms and fell back into the water as both came down from their highs'.

* * *

 **Small lemon ends…**

* * *

"You've spoilt me." She said with a schoolgirl like giggle and he chuckled softly himself.

"And you've spoilt me hime." He said softly and she nodded in his chest. He picked her up in his arms bridal style making her squeal in glee as she snuggled in his chest and walked into the shower. Both showered and got out as Temari walked to the closet and started getting dressed.

"You know that I have to meet the dignitaries and foreign convoys today for the welcoming. And still you do all that just before I have to get dressed. What if I had a limp from all that?" she asked in mock anger and Naruto chuckled softly.

"Well you didn't seem like complaining back then…" he said making her blush. "… and it would be fun seeing you explaining it to the others." He said and dodged a hanger as he chuckled seeing her blushed and embarrassed face as he saw her in her black laced bra and panties and moved forward and pinned her to the wall.

"Plus, if you keep blushing like that wearing this, I might have to make you miss the welcoming and give you that limp after all." He whispered in her ear huskily and she hugged him tightly.

"What am I going to do with you?" she asked tiredly and he smirked.

"Well you could…" he was cut off when Temari put her fingers on his lips shutting him up.

"Oh hush, it was a rhetorical question my baka blonde husband." She said softly with a giggle and he pecked her and put her down walking back putting on his cut sleeves white shirt over his blue ANBU pants and sandals and fastened his blue fingerless gloves with metal back plates. He finished off his attire with his signature white waist length jacket with blue flames at the bottom and the kanji for 'Second Flash' embroidered vertically down his back. He tied his headband on his right arm letting his hair fall free over his eyes a bit as he had kept them the normal size to avoid the heat but grown them slightly to fall over his eyes as his love liked it so much. He was putting on his white medical tape when he heard footsteps behind him and turned to see Temari coming out from behind the wooden dressing separator. He dropped the roll of medical tape when his eyes landed on his wife.

There she stood in a black thigh length elegant kimono without her usual fishnet stockings letting the toned legs out in the view completely. Light blue flames matching his jacket's colour completely were designed to give the look of a large desert lily and her hair done in a loose bun with a senbon holding a shining blue sapphire at its end accentuating his eyes and her hair. The light blue obi matching the pattern at the bottom of her kimono was done beautifully with the same design embroidered on it. She was wearing her usual black shinobi sandals at the bottom and no makeup, just the way he liked it and just stared at her in a trance. Temari had a rosy ink blush adorning her cheeks from his reaction but was shocked at his words.

"You should not go out like this." He said and she looked down thinking she wasn't looking nice and was stunned at his next words when he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in a hug.

"I don't want others to see my hime looking so pretty." He said and she blushed and hit his chest lightly muttering 'baka' and giggled. His heartfelt compliments and soft kisses that came with them made her feel really special. Naruto kissed her lips softly just like she knew he would and she rubbed his cheek softly making him nuzzle in her hand and she smiled.

"Hime, Matsuri came in the morning to tell you that you have to welcome all the dignitaries at noon." He said softly and she nodded as he picked her up bridal style and she squealed gleefully snuggling in his chest happily. He walked down to the dining table and sat her on his lap and both ate the breakfast he had kept earlier slowly making slow soft talk about each other's days. Naruto saw it was almost eleven and they had to leave in ten minutes to get to their posts and hugged her burying his face in her neck making her smile.

"You don't want to go do you?" she asked with a giggle and he whined in her neck as she cradled his head with a fond smile, brushing his hair softly. They sat in silence for ten minutes as Temari got up from his lap and fixed her kimono properly and put her hands on her hips with a playful glare.

"Now let's go, or do you want me to get late for my welcoming?" she asked in mock anger and he smiled.

"Well I could make you get late and spoil that pretty kimono a little if you'd like." He said making her turn red like a tomato and bonk his head.

"I didn't mean it like that you baka, now come. Escort me at least halfway where we will have to part ways." She said pulling his hand and he went with her locking the house behind them. They walked through the streets with Temari wrapped around him, her head on his shoulder and his arm around her waist securely as they walked through the village with smiles. Everyone either smiled waved or bowed at the newly married couple and they walked on reaching the central square of the village and Naruto saw Gaara and Kankuro there waiting for them and raised an eyebrow. He saw Kankuro handing Gaara some money and grumbling and was confused.

"Hey guys what's all that give-take about?" he asked and Kankuro huffed while Gaara smirked.

"We just made a bet that whether you would make her come late or not after seeing her in her attire as our representative for our exams that she had to wear for three days. Kankuro said you would and just paid up." He said and Naruto chuckled at the make-up man's expense.

"Oh believe me I was sorely tempted." He said making her blush and hide in his neck as he hugged her and kissed the top of her head. The brother's watched happily at how happy their sister was.

"Alright hime, I'll go and take care of all the shinobi stuff while you and your brothers go and have fun with the delegates alright?" he said and she nodded and broke the hug hesitantly, missing his warmth.

"Thanks for taking over all the stuff for me Naruto, I appreciate your help." Gaara said and Naruto nodded as he waved and watched them leave. Temari took a couple of steps and turned back running up to him and threw herself in his arms as he caught her in his arms and twirled her around making her giggle happily. She kissed him passionately as the crowd watching them was cheering on in happiness and the Sabaku sibling fiddled around uncomfortably. It was hard seeing their sister seeing her kiss someone, even if it was her husband they thought and the couple kissed for a couple of minutes as they broke off looking flushed.

"What's wrong hime, what is with this all of a sudden?" he asked putting a lock of hair behind her ear and she smiled and pecked him.

"Nothing, just like that." She said giving him a wink and pulled her brothers with her to the gates and Naruto smiled and shook his head in amusement walking away to the Kazekage Tower into his office to take care of all the militaristic stuff while Gaara handled the diplomacies.

* * *

 **Village Gates**

* * *

Temari, Gaara and Kankuro walked to the village gates at a slow pace and came up to the gates. The chunins standing there bowed to the three and Gaara nodded to them as they sat down. Gaara knew that there were ANBU place everywhere if he knew Naruto, but for the life of him he couldn't see a single one since this morning. He saw how the commanders of both ANBU and the Jounins looked up to him and how they had started reporting to him and was glad at the burden being split from him with some of the civilian affairs that Naruto had taken away from him too and watched over the activities of the council. He had offered the hat to him, but the damn blonde had given him such a great answer with a smile that he had speared where he stood with his sand before he flashed away and still cursed the damn blonde for his answer.

" _Oh you can keep the hat. Kami bless you with all the more paperwork 'Kazekage-sama'."_ He had blessed him and that annoyed him to no end. He saw as the several carriages and people came into view and held his stoic mask on while Temari smiled to welcome them all. It was the first time that all the five great villages had sent their genin teams to the exams after the civil war in Kiri had ended. The main reason being Suna was the most neutral major village at the moment and every village wanted to scout them out with all their new defense systems cutting them off.

Temari welcomed the party from the Earth country with the Sandaime Tsuchikage Onoki, Akatsuchi and Kurotsuchi at the front along with their Daimyo. She greeted and welcomed the guests sending them off with their personal ANBU escort teams to the Desert Oasis, the finest hotel in Suna. Iwa was completely neutral with them now as all their past differences of the last war were being forgotten and they were moving up from it.

Next came the delegation from Kumo with the Yondaime Raikage Ay, Darui and Cee at the front along with their Daimyo and she greeted the rigid and shrewd man politely who nodded, respecting the kunoichi. He viewed strength and the Wind Mistress of Suna was a well-known name in the bingo books now. And he also saw the elegance and grace with which she carried herself making him respect her even more. She greeted everyone and sent them off to the hotel with their own personal ANBU team and the rest of the parties with the genins and jounins were being sent to another hotel assigned to them by Suna chunins. Unknown to them the whole village was riddled with hidden ANBU black ops keeping eyes on everyone and wearing heavy Uzumaki chakra suppression seals making them the eyes that reported directly to Naruto watching their every move for security.

She saw the delegation from Kiri come into view and was nervous at how this was going to play out since relations had always been tense with them ever since the last war with what her father had played on them. She saw a really beautiful and seductive woman wearing the Mizukage's hat along with her two bodyguards and smiled greeting them and was happy that they weren't holding any hard feelings. Maybe with the new Mizukage, their relations could be improved Gaara mused welcoming her personally. They were escorted to the hotel with the same detail. Temari had chosen the hotel personally, seeing it had many different buildings like a resort and would keep the different villages away while at the same time together.

Lastly came the last delegation and Temari frowned a bit but smiled concentrating just on the woman wearing the Hokage's hat and the only leaf shinobi she respected apart from her apprentice Shizune. She welcomed them as Tsunade took off her hat and took the hands of the young girl in hers with a gentle smile.

"You look lovely Temari, absolutely beautiful." She said happily and Temari smiled as they hugged each other lightly. Temari scowled inwardly seeing her two bodyguards and gave them a polite bow and smiled. She wanted to bash the head of the white-haired pervert into the ground as she saw him eyeing her like a piece of a meat but she couldn't and just settled for inwardly cursing him to hell.

"Welcome to Suna Hatake-san, Jiraiya-sama." She said as politely as she could and they nodded with smiles and she saw two jounins behind her that made her snort in disgust inwardly. Shikamaru and Sasuke stood behind them with the Fire delegation eyeing her carefully and both frowned as she dismissed them without even sparing them a glance. Sasuke saw her looking so beautiful and the elegance with which she walked and held herself made him want her even more. She would be the perfect Matriarch for the Uchiha clan and a fine partner for him to revive his clan he thought licking his lips as he watched her greet everyone with that entrancing smile on her beautiful lips. And now she had a new glow on her face that wasn't there before which made her look all the more entrancing to him. He would have her see him like this when he saw her fiancée in the finals, he mused grinning. Several others of the rookie teams were there too and she wanted to just tell them to 'FUCK OFF' but diplomatic things stopped her and she motioned for them to the escorts to the hotel as they left. She welcomed them all and many others from several minor villages like Waterfall and Grass and sighed as the last of them left.

"Thank god it's over." She said sighing tiredly as she plopped down on a nearby bench and the chunin at the gates handed them bottles of water which she took gratefully.

"Well there are a lot of people this time for the exams." Kankuro muttered gulping down the water and Gaara nodded.

"Yes these are the biggest finals ever in the history of the five villages. There has never been the gathering of the big five at one chunin exam finals. It will be good for diplomatic talks between our villages." Gaara said and Temari nodded knowing it was true. Her thoughts trailed off to her blonde baka as she stood up tiredly and saw the setting sun and looked back at her brothers with a tired smile.

"Guys I'll be heading home now, Naru-kun will be back by the time I reach home. I want to rest till tomorrow before the finals." She said and they smiled and nodded as she walked away to her home with a small tired smile.

* * *

 **Namikaze residence**

* * *

Temari walked in through the stone steps and saw the house still locked and frowned. She had hoped her would be home, but it looked like he was running late. She walked in keeping her sandals in the shoe rack and walked straight upstairs. She went inside her room and fell straight down face first on her bed with a tired sigh. Suddenly she felt a presence behind her when she felt two hands press against her back and massage it and smiled.

"My hime looks really tired tonight." Spoke the loving voice of her husband as she felt him massaging her back and thighs and sighed happily moaning as he broke the tiredness off her.

"A little down ahh…" she moaned and Naruto worked his hands on her back gently massaging it and took the small fans from her sleeves as he squeezed out the muscles in her arms. He flipped her around and saw her tired face and half lidded eyes making him smile. He undid her obi and opened her kimono so only her black laced bra and panties were in view and picked her up by the waist softly removing her arms from the sleeves and put her in bed hanging the kimono on the wooden separator. He brought the blanket up and tucked her in as he saw her fast asleep already and rubbed her head, kissing her forehead softly and changed getting into bed beside her. He knew she would wake up in the middle of the night and he would make both of them dinner then and snuggled with her as they cuddled up and slept in each other's arms.

* * *

 **In the dead of night…**

* * *

Temari's eyes opened as she felt her snuggled up to her hubby and without her kimono as she smiled seeing Naruto cuddled up to her and knew what must have happened. She kissed his lips softly and Naruto woke up with a smile.

"Hey you." She whispered softly rubbing his cheek and he smiled.

"Hey yourself princess." He whispered and pecked her hugging her in his arms.

"You didn't eat dinner, did you?" she asked and he shook her head making her smile.

"You don't have to sleep on an empty stomach just because I did it." She said softly and already knew the answer that was about to come.

"How could I eat, when my hime was sleeping on an empty stomach?" he asked softly and she smiled and pecked him wrapping her arms around his neck and kept her forehead on his, gazing into his lovingly.

"I'm hungry." She whispered softly and he smiled and pecked her.

"You want to eat at home, order something or go out?" he asked softly and she smiled thinking of her options and smiled happily coming to a decision.

"Let's go out, a midnight date." She chirped happily and he nodded with a smile getting out of bed and put on a simple T-shirt over his pyjamas and she wore a simple pink top and her white floral pyjamas, tying her hair in a loose bun and both walked downstairs putting on their sandals. They walked in their usual way as Temari snuggled into his warm body to escape the cold breeze and he wrapped an arm around her waist pulling her close to him. They walked through the almost deserted streets and into the shopping district of the village where some people were still up and about and walked to a small restaurant and Temari pointed to it as they walked in.

The manager of the small establishment saw the most popular couple of the village come into his restaurant in simple sleeping clothes and smiled at seeing the newlywed couple snuggled into each other. He walked up to them and greeted them politely.

"Namikaze-sama, it's a surprise seeing you here at this late hour." He said and Naruto smiled at the man and nodded.

"Yes well Mari-chan slept on an empty stomach and I followed her. That lead to our midnight date tonight, I hope we can get a small corner for ourselves seeing our simple attire." He asked politely and the man beamed and waved his hand dismissively.

"Of course not. this place is always open for our favourite couple. Please come with me I'll get you a nice quiet booth." He said and they smiled and followed him as the few people that recognized them widened their eyes when they saw them and greeted them happily.

They sat in a corner table on the second floor completely empty and to themselves near the window and Temari giggled making him curious.

"This has got to be the best date ever. I mean we just got out of bed and came out at almost two in the morning on a date in a small restaurant completely without thought." She said and he chuckled and nodded as the manager came and they ordered some sushi and a little sake as they chatted about the day's events and Naruto chuckled at her descriptive curses for the delegates as the food came and both ate, sometimes feeding each other and had a bottle of sake shared with each other. Not much since they wanted to enjoy but be fit for the finals. And Naruto could always keep his alcohol in check if he needed due to his tenant watching over him.

He and the fox had gotten pretty close over the years. Well as close as a human and a bloodthirsty bijuu could get with his heavy sarcasm. They had a mutual respect for each other as the fox had told him of his life and Naruto had told him about his which he already knew and which was why he respected him and especially his 'mate vixen' as he called her, who helped him out from darkness before he did something stupid. The demonic chakra beacon on her ring was his idea and he was always keeping his senses out whenever he was a little careless, not wanting to see his container be beaten due to his carelessness and disrespect him. Naruto knew underneath all that bloodthirstiness; he was just an overgrown plushy.

"So I saw Sakura here today with many of the rookies from the Konoha delegation along with their jounin-senseis." She said in between her eating and Naruto brought her hands to him and kissed them softly, looking at her lovingly.

"You don't have to worry about anything love, I have no feelings for anyone other than you. Neither will I ever have so don't worry about anything. Almost all of Konoha except a select few died for me when they betrayed me, my heart belongs to you and only you." He said sensing her emphasis on Sakura and she smiled and drank her warm sake slowly and nodded. He took all her insecurities away with just that loving look. She was scared that if Sakura was to come to her senses he might re-emerge his feelings for her. She knew she was being stupid but the slightest chance of losing him scared her to no end. They saw as the manager walked up to them and asked if they needed anything but they shook their heads and paid the man with a good healthy tip and thanked him for the hospitality leaving.

They walked through the barren streets when Naruto saw a little girl running with tears streaming down her eyes and frowned. He crouched down and caught her in his arms as she hugged him innocently and cried her heart out while Naruto held her softly rubbing her back.

"Now now my little angel no need for so many precious pearls." He said wiping her eyes and nose and smiled as he gazed into the teary brown eyes and puffy cheeks of the small black haired girl and gave her a gentle smile. The small girl recognized Naruto seeing his whiskers and smiled happily.

"You're him, whiskers-kun!" she chirped happily and Temari giggled causing him to glare at her and he too recognized the girl from that day when her father came to him for her admission to the Academy. But what was such a little girl doing here in the dead of night?

"What are you doing here Haru-chan? It's late and why are you alone?" he asked and her tears renewed as he hugged her softly letting her cry before she spoke up.

"I broke a vase in my house when I went to bathroom and daddy yelled at me. I ran away but now I can't find my house. I'm scared, please get me back to my daddy." She said in sobs and Temari took the little cute girl in her arms to cradle and coo the crying little bundle as Naruto stood up with hardened eyes and flared his chakra in secret ANBU code as four ANBU appeared in front of him and kneeled down.

"Hai Namikaze-sama!" they shouted in unison and he glared at their kneeled down forms and spoke. Several people around the open shops had stopped to see their military commander calling ANBU in front of him and listened in.

"If you were in the vicinity why didn't you help this little girl? What would have happened if some drunk or psychopath would have gotten a hold of her instead of me?" he asked coldly and the ANBU team gulped from his tone and the leader spoke up.

"But Namikaze-sama according to your orders we are to look after the village and its security…" he was cut off as Naruto spoke up.

"…is irrelevant." He said coldly and all of them looked at him in shock as he spoke.

"If my forces can't even look after the well-being of a crying child in the death of night then what security are you talking about? Would you have been responsible for reporting to her father that you saw and left his daughter alone? Answer me!" he asked icily and the four looked down in shame.

"The shinobi are stationed for the security of the village correct. But if we can't protect our children, what good are you doing looking after the shinobi threats. They are the future of this village and must be protected at all costs. Now I have a new mission for the four of you." He said and they all looked down and nodded, his words piercing their hearts.

"Go and tell everyone what happened her and what is the most important thing to do. The security of the village is nothing if we can't protect its civilians…" he said and they nodded. "… and you four be ready to write a five-page report on your actions tonight and what you learned. And if the report is not good enough then be ready to be stripped of your ANBU masks after the finals." He said and they nodded in unison shivering from the little killing intent he was releasing.

"Dismissed." He said authoritatively and he turned around to Temari who was smiling proudly with the little girl in her arms as he heard clapping and saw the few awake people who saw everything clapping for him.

"Namikaze-sama you're the best. The civilians rest easy seeing you look after us." One of the shopkeepers said as everyone nodded and he smiled and shushed them up seeing the time and was blushing in embarrassment as he turned to the little girl who had fallen asleep in Temari's arms and took her in his arms.

"Let's go and get her address from the admission form in my office and get this little girl home hime." He said and she smiled and nodded as they went about and did so walking to her house. They saw his father looking around frantically with tear stains on his cheeks as Temari put a hand on his shoulder and pointed to Naruto as the man's eyes widened when he saw his little girl safe and sound sleeping in the strongest man of the village's arms, sighing in relief. He kneeled down bowing to Naruto as he was wide eyed and picked the man up.

"Thank you Namikaze-sama, you are an angel to my family. You always look out for us. What would have I done if I couldn't find her?" he said and Naruto smiled handing her to him as the father cradled his innocent sleeping child happily making Temari smile.

"Why didn't you go and ask help at the shinobi desk?" Naruto asked and the man wiped his eyes smiling sadly.

"I did Namikaze-sama, but the man there was a bit drunk and said all shinobi were busy with the exams and didn't have time for silly civilian affairs." He said making Naruto harden his eyes and Temari to scowl. Many shinobi from clans still looked at civilians' problems with disdain and a waste of time. Looks like they had to be taught a lesson he mused.

"I apologize for their behaviour…" he said and the father caught his hands and shook his head.

"No please don't apologize Namikaze-sama, you brought my daughter home personally I couldn't…" he said but was cut off when Naruto raised his hand.

"No my leadership had a hole, I shouldn't have had to find her in the first place. Your complaint should have been listened and reported to every patrolling shinobi through our specially coded seals I have dispersed amongst them. Don't worry I'll rectify it tomorrow after I have a chat with my forces _personally._ " He said and the father nodded and thanked him again stepping in his house as Naruto and Temari walked home with Temari wrapped around his arm.

"Looks like you have a busy day tomorrow Naru-kun." She whispered and he nodded with a frown.

"Yes I'll make sure everyone is treated equally whether it be clan children or civilian orphans, as long as I'm in command." He said and she smiled kissing his cheek as they reached home and fell into bed in each other's arms. They fell asleep awaiting the adventures that were about to come in the next two days, especially the finals.

* * *

 _ **Author's notes : There is the next chapter. Next time will be some of Naruto's reveal to the Konoha contingent and his power and command being showed over his forces. Several of Konoha's ninjas will also be shown exploring the village. Oh and as for Sasuke bashing, well he will be bashed like hell to fulfil my heart and several others (Kukuku). For those of you saying the plot is going slow well the next few updates will be crucial and the parts you have been waiting for and for those of you think the pace has gotten slow, well I never was a hurrying author so please bear with it for a little more time and you'll love it. So until next time keep reading and give me some reviews if you want the updates fast like you guys have been doing. So until next time keep reading and reviewing Ja Ne ;)**_

* * *

 _ **PS :**_ **I would like to thank all the love this story has garnered. I know there are flaws and I try and fix them as much as I can. I was told about my problem for long sentences and I appreciate the proper negative criticism and I'm trying to rectify it. And thanks for the 1k+ reviews and 1.5+ followers in such a short amount of time. Your reviews and comments help build the author's confidence and skills. So I thank my readers again ;)**


	15. Chapter 15

**Naruto : Desert Flower**

* * *

 **Next Morning**

* * *

 **Sunagakure no sato**

* * *

 **Namikaze households**

* * *

Naruto woke up with a groan hearing the alarm clock ringing and slammed his hand on it, shutting it up. He had been up late last night due to their date already and he didn't want to get up. He felt soft lips and tingling warm breath over his neck and grunted. He opened his eyes to see his princess looking at him with a smile and a faint pink blush. She pecked his lips softly and he smiled bringing her in for a hug.

"You're up early today hime." He said softly and she nodded on his chest while he played with her hair.

"Hai we have that small gathering of dignitaries at the resort today remember?" she spoke softly running circles on his chest and he nodded remembering it. He kissed the top of her head making her smile and cuddle up to him.

"We won't be able to have any alone time for the next couple of days I suppose then?" he asked and she nodded slowly on his chest. He pulled her closer by the waist and captured her lips in a soft kiss making her moan in pleasure and he smiled at his him, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear gently making her blush.

"What do you say to a little shower then?" he asked and she glared at him slightly.

"No." she said flatly and he looked at her in mock hurt.

"Why not?" he asked and she glared harder.

"Because I know you will send me to the meeting with a limp." She said flatly with a blush and he chuckled softly.

"Oh come on I'm not that bad…" he trailed off seeing her flat look.

"I'll be gentle…" he whispered kissing her cheek and she blushed and looked at him angrily. She wanted to say no but her cupped her cheeks and looked at her lovingly.

"We don't know if we would get another chance again for the next two days or not." he spoke softly kissing her neck and she moaned and grabbed his head, cradling it in her arms while he kissed her neck.

"No, stop Naru-kun…" she whispered half-heartedly and he stopped, surprised at her refusal.

"Why are you angry with me? Was I too rough last time?" he asked gently kissing her on the cheek and she smiled and shook her head.

"No remember what you promised me yesterday before Kankuro showed up…" she said making him smile warmly and nod. "… we'll have the complete day after the finals to ourselves and I want you to make love to me all day. I want to have a family Naru-kun." She whispered softly and he smiled, kissing her forehead softly and pulled her in a bear hug.

"I love you so much Mari-chan. Alright we'll do it after the finals, and I want a family too." He whispered softly and she smiled and kissed his cheek.

"But we can still have a shower together right?" he asked and she nodded as he stood up and quickly pulled her up bridal style making her squeal in glee.

"We will make out in the shower at the very least. You won't be able to keep me away from you completely." He said walking in the bathroom while she snuggled in his chest and nodded. He put her down on her feet and took of his clothes in the shower. He heard the shower turning on and looked back to see the silhouette of his wife in the steam and smiled walking in behind her. He wrapped his arms around her slender waist from behind and made her turn around in his arms.

He looked at her dripping form and her naked body pressed against his capturing her lips as the hot water flowed over them in between their kisses. Temari moaned as she felt his loving lips capture hers in a passionate kiss and she kissed him back equally hungrily. They made out for five minutes in the shower when she felt something hard between her legs and knew what it was. He was hard already and she knew he wanted her but wasn't going any further.

"You want it don't you?" she asked softly hugging him and he nodded in her neck, brushing her wet hair to the side making her smile. She held him for a few moments and kissed his cheek gently and brought her lips to his ear.

"Make it quick." She purred in his ear softly and he smiled and nodded.

"Arigato." He whispered pushing her against the wall and lifting up her left leg with his right arm opening her love hole to him. She grabbed his stiff member in her hand and pulled him in a hug, stroking him softly making him grunt in pleasure.

"How much do you love me?" she asked softly, kissing his neck and he grunted as she rubbed his tip on her opening while softly stroking him, teasing him within her hold.

"More than you know." He grunted and tried to push in when she held him back and kept stroking him. She gazed into his lust filled eyes that were glazed from pleasure. She felt his hand go down to her pussy to rub when she grabbed his wrist and he looked at her in confusion.

"What if I stop you right now?" she asked softly and kept stroking him pulling his hand to her neck.

"Please don't." he grunted thrusting lightly in her hand and she smiled at hearing his vulnerable and needy voice.

"What if I do?" she asked feeling him getting stiffer than ever and twitching ever so lightly.

"You wouldn't." he said vulnerably looking in her eyes while she kept stroking him.

"Oh I would." She whispered mischievously and he looked into her eyes to see her serious and not just teasing him. She really would do it. She was just playing with him. He put her leg down and unwrapped himself from her arms. She looked at him confused when he walked out of the shower much to her surprise grabbing a towel on his way out. She was just playing with him and had no plans to go all the way today.

"Naru-kun?" she asked confused as she walked out in a towel wrapped around her to see him putting on his pants and shirt. She was even more confused when he didn't answer her.

"Naru-kun?" she asked again in a small voice and she gasped as she looked into his pained eyes.

"You really would have stopped wouldn't you?" he asked softly and she was stunned at his question and didn't say anything. She was just playing with him and wasn't going to go the whole way. He saw her silence and smiled sadly. He put on his shirt and walked out completely forgetting his jacket and headband along the way. He stopped as he put his hand on the door knob and looked at her with hurt eyes making her eyes water.

"You shouldn't play with our moments like that." He said softly making her gasp as she brought her hands to her mouth in shock and a tear rolled down her eye. She realized that she had hurt him and went too far with her prank. Naruto walked out closing the door behind him and she gasped and ran out to see him already gone, probably had flashed away and started sobbing. She was so stupid. She knew how much he loved her and his words rang in her mind.

 _You shouldn't play with our moments like that._

It was true, she had tried to prank him into making love. She had crossed a boundary she shouldn't have with her stupid joke and prank. She remembered his vulnerable voice in his last moments when he has with her in her arms. She should have realized he wasn't in the mood for pranks and really wanted to go further or she shouldn't have baited him on to the last moment like that. She needed to apologize to him. She glanced at the clock to see she was already running nearly on time to go to the gathering and cursed inwardly. She decided to give him some time to calm down and make up to him later on.

She put on her dress with the same kimono from the previous time she had worn to represent her village. She had to wear it on the three meetings including the finals tomorrow. She got dressed in her same black kimono and pulled up her hair in a loose bun with the senbon that had a ruby embedded on one of its ends. She walked down the stairs of her house and put on her sandals. She glanced back into the empty house and her eyes watered. They had been so happy and he had made her feel so special by taking her on that date last night to celebrate their decision for a family and she had ruined it all with one of her stupid pranks. She missed him already. He should have been here kissing her and wrapping his arms around her while he walked her through the village. It felt weird to leave the house like that with such a heavy heart. She composed herself and walked out with a small sigh, locking the door behind her.

* * *

 **Meanwhile with Naruto…**

* * *

Naruto walked down the streets of the village with an emotionless mask marred over his face. It hurt him that she would play with him like that and he didn't want to do anything stupid so he had flashed away to the nearest marker as soon as he left the room. Maybe he had over reacted and she was just playing light heartedly. He sighed tiredly. Maybe he should have listened to her first before just walking out. He was so confused with himself he didn't even realize when he had reached the Kazekage Tower and his office. He sat down on his desk, pumping chakra into the seals on them to send out a small beacon as two figures appeared in his office bowing politely.

"Baki, Dragon call every shinobi under your commands to the clearing in front of the Kazekage Tower under the tower." He said emotionlessly not looking up from the small file in front of him to see the two stupefied commanders of the village.

"E-Everyone?" both stuttered out in unison and Naruto gazed up with cold icy cerulean blue eyes with such intensity that both gulped.

"Did I stutter?" he asked coldly and both shook their heads furiously seeing he was in no mood for any questions today while holding their breaths as he turned his eyes. Both were shell shocked at the sudden gathering of the forces they were commanded and were building up their confidence to speak to their aggravated commander when his voice cut in the silence like hot knife through butter.

"In thirty minutes or don't return to your commands tomorrow." He said coldly making their words die down in their throats and sweat to roll down their heads when his blank face turned to them again. They saw he was not in a good mood today on one of those rare occasions.

"Dismissed." He said emotionlessly and both ran out scrambling from the room, forgetting that they could use Shunshin to leave completely. He turned his attention back to the file in front of him to take his attention of the tension that had formed in the morning between him and his hime. He glanced at the clock to see it had been twenty-five minutes and stood up. He walked down the hallways of the tower as everyone made way for him seeing his void aura that was surrounding him this morning. He stood in front of the crowd assembled to see two panting commanders kneel down in front of him.

"They… are all… here… Namikaze-sama." Both said in between pants and he nodded motioning for them to stand with them and gazed at the various shinobi all standing there looking at their commander curiously and he could hear the slight murmuring in between them.

"Is there something you all have that is more interesting for you to talk about rather than paying attention to your commander who is standing in front of you?" he asked in a normal voice not shouting or speaking loudly and the whole forces turned deathly silent as the man they respected the most took command of them. The power and authority his voice held instantly commanded their complete attention.

"No Namikaze-sama." He heard them say in unison and standing at attention and he nodded.

"Tora, Neko, Inu Tori step forward." He said in his normal voice and the four ANBU stood in front of the crowd. The four knew why they were here from the events of last night.

"I was out late last night with my wife and we were walking through the streets when I found a lost, crying little civilian girl, no older than five years in the death of night. She was completely scared and alone, not knowing where she was and wanted to go home…" he started as all eyes focused on his commanding tone unblinkingly.

"These four…" he motioned for them who gulped beneath their masks seeing every eye turn to them.

"… found their missions for looking after internal security much more prudent that for one of them to walk out and help the little crying child. They obeyed the rules of their commanding officers perfectly, choosing the mission over the little girl." He said and all of them nodded looking at the four ANBU who wanted to hold their heads down in shame knowing what was coming next.

"Now I have a small question for all of you…" he said and all of them looked at their commander curiously.

"Do you think they made the right choice? Those who do please raise their hands." He said holding his hands behind his back and gazed at all of them icily when almost eighty percent of the hands including his ANBU and jounin commanders much to his shame were within them.

"I see." He said slowly looking at them and smiled a small smile.

"Those who didn't raise their hands please move to the left side." He said and gaze at them seeing they were all just newly minted genin and smiled inwardly seeing their nervous faces, thinking they had made the wrong choice. He turned to the rest of the forces with a smile making them all smile proudly at their experienced choice when the words left his lips through his smile.

"I'm ashamed to call myself your commander. I guess I am not a capable leader." He said as all of them broke out in protest after a moment of silence absorbing his words saying it wasn't true. He raised his hand slightly and they turned silent as he spoke up.

"Think that all of you were in these four's places…" he said turning to Baki and Dragon who nodded in affirmative seeing his firm tone leaving no room for arguments.

"Think that the girl was in the hands of some psychopath or rapist…" he said as their blood ran cold imagining a five-year-old girl in such a fate.

"And you were supposed to report to me the next day seeing her mutilated body that you saw the girl last night and instead of the one of you going off from the rules you stuck by them…" he said when shame felt their hearts and he continued.

"And you had to report it to the father whose child had suffered such a fate that you could have made a difference by disobeying the rules of your commanders but you stuck by them…" he said and every eye averted his own.

"Now I ask how many of you would have chosen the rules over the girl's safety?" he asked and no hand was raised and he nodded appreciatively.

"Now you understand what it means to be a shinobi…" he said as all eyes turned up to him again.

"From this day on, you will not follow the rules blindly and make the choices you think are right. You aren't tools, you are shinobi. You have minds. You have hearts. Use them and think before you make a choice. If a situation like last night arises and you all leave the mission parameters to do what was right, I would be proud to have called myself your commander…" he said as fire burned within their eyes hearing his words.

"Every civilian, shinobi, child and adult alike are our responsibility. Take out your hands to help each other. Whether they be clan heads or civilians…" his voice rung in the crowd and they nodded knowing the small discrimination that he was trying to remove by that statement.

"My sensei didn't teach me much, but his first lesson I live by to this day even if he himself never adopted it…" he said as they all listened on with held breaths knowing how important the next words must mean to their commander.

"Those who abandon rules in the shinobi world are scum and that's true…" he said gaining nods from each and every one of them.

"But those who abandon even one of their comrades for their rules are even worse that scum…" his words rung stopping the nods.

"Each and every one is Suna is our comrade and our responsibility. From this day on, I shouldn't hear reports that we lost someone to fulfil the mission. If it doesn't work with plan A then follow plan B…" he said when a hand raised from the crowd from a female chunin who blushed when he motioned for her to speak. She had a crush on the man in front of her and wanted to ask a question, but was surprised he was letting her instead of calling her off.

"What if plan B fails too Namikaze-sama?" she asked and he smiled a little making her blush intensify and all eyes to turn to him awaiting the answer.

"Well the solution is simple and the one I live by personally…" he said gaining curious looks from everyone.

"If both fail, then create a plan C yourself. Improvise and try to cut as many losses as you could while trying to fulfil your objective. But never do so by abandoning a comrade. Sacrificing yourself is different and forfeiting a comrade to the wolves is different. Understand the difference or you are no better than bandits. Are my words and my message to every shinobi on this side clear?" he asked commandingly to all those who had raised their hands and their respect for their commander increased tenfold and they nodded in unison.

"HAI NAMIKAZE-SAMA!" their voice rang in unison and he nodded turning to the fresh genin who didn't raise their hands with a proud smile.

"I'm proud that our young blood has hearts of gold. Looks like the future of the Sand is in safe hands." Making all of them embarrassed and got nods when he turned to all of them looking at him curiously. He rose an eyebrow at their expectant gazes.

"What am I, a baboon doing a performance?" he asked in an amused and light hearted tone getting face faults throughout the crowd at his reversal in behaviour and he smirked as his authoritative voice rang again.

"We have the chunin exams final tomorrow Suna shinobi and we need our village secure. NOW GET YOUR ASSES IN GEAR AND DO SOME WORK. DISMISSED." He said loudly and all the forces scrambled back to their posts when he heard snickering behind him to see an amused Gaara and a laughing Kankuro and sighed.

"That was… interesting." Gaara said in an amused tone making him smile.

"I knew I made the right choice choosing you Naruto. You really should take my hat you know." He said and Naruto smirked and walked past him as Gaara handed him a small official sealed scroll that he pocketed with a smile.

"No you can keep the paperwork and I can keep the shinobi affairs. It's better that way." He said and flashed away when a sand tendril pierced where he was a moment ago making Gaara growl.

"I swear I'll get the secret to his paperwork technique, whatever it is one day." He said and Kankuro followed him laughing to the gathering for which they were already late. Now he understood why he had chosen this time. With all of the outsiders attending the gathering the forces were almost free for a small gap at that moment.

* * *

 **Meanwhile with Temari…**

* * *

Temari entered the resort in her elegant clothing with the elegance of a princess and saw almost all heads turn to the representative of Suna exam finals and started greeting her happily. She smiled a small fake smile greeting them all formally and dismissing them as politely as she could when she saw Tsunade coming her way and much to her surprise didn't have a cup of sake in her hands.

"Temari I was looking for you." She chirped happily and Temari rose and eyebrow and nodded.

"What can I do for you Tsunade-sama?" she asked getting a smile from the woman.

"You know I have always liked you." She said gaining a small nod in return when Tsunade smiled.

"And that is a really pretty ring and the design of it is rather… _interesting_." She said emphasising on the word interesting and Temari covered it with her other hand with a small nervous smile.

"Thank you Tsunade-sama." She said with a nervous smile and Tsunade smiled widely taking a small chicken skewer in her hand and walked beside her.

"And you know the delicacies of Suna are rather delicious." She said taking a bite from the skewer and Temari smiled from the compliment. She had made the arrangements and she was proud to hear a heartfelt compliment.

"But yesterday I visited a rather interesting new restaurant in the shopping district and I must say the food there is delicious." She said and Temari looked at her curiously putting some food on her plate from the table as they walked side by side.

"Really which one is that Tsunade-sama?" she asked innocently and Tsunade smiled.

"It has a rather peculiar speciality and has originated from Konoha. I'm sure you must know of it… Ichiraku's Ramen." She said in a low voice only audible to her and Temari was pulled aside by Tsunade as she gulped seeing her sweet smile. They were in the corner out of everyone's earshot now.

"Your ring has the shape of a Nine Tailed Fox, Naruto's favourite Ramen stand Ichiraku's, moved its business from Konoha to Suna of all places after thirty years of business there just when their business was booming. Those coincidences are too much. He is alive isn't he?" she asked desperately with teary eyes and Temari sighed seeing her motherly voice and nodded when Tsunade hugged her tightly, glomping her like a mother.

"I knew it, my gaki wasn't one to die so easily. How is he? He is happy here right?" she asked rapidly in a soft and caring voice and Temari nodded with a small smile.

"He is here Tsunade-sama and he is very happy. He misses you dearly, the only one he still cares about from the leaf are you and Shizune-san." She said kindly in a soft voice and Tsunade's eyes softened with a fond smile and tears flowed down her eyes as she pulled her behind a small plant out of everyone's eyesight.

"So he is your fiancée too right?" she asked softly taking her hand with the ring gazing at it happily making Temari smile and shake her head in negative and cut her off as she tried to voice her confusion.

"He is my husband now Tsunade-sama." She said softly and Tsunade's eyes widened in shock as her tears renewed and she glomped her again much to her embarrassment but saw the happiness in her eyes and the true concern for her lover.

"Oh he chose so well, now I'm sure to have blonde grandchildren…" she said and Temari blushed and looked down making Tsunade beam at no denial to her words.

"Oh my god you two have that planned too…" she said gleefully and Temari's blush intensified and she nodded when Tsunade asked the next question.

"Where is he? I need to meet him please." She said desperately and Temari looked at her wide eyed.

"But Tsunade-sama the gathering…" she was cut off as Tsunade shooed her hand to the party.

"Fuck the gathering, they can burn for all I care." She said bluntly making Temari wide eyed and now understood why her husband always said she was too blunt for her own good. She was tempted to make her go and see Naruto but remembered the morning and looked down.

"Umm Tsunade-sama he is really busy with the exams and all…" she said nervously making Tsunade scowl and cut off her protest before she could speak.

"But I promise you'll see him tomorrow one way or the other." She said making Tsunade raise an eyebrow at her cryptic words.

"I promise." She said firmly and Tsunade nodded slowly. She was too happy with the news she had heard anyway to be negative and couldn't wait to meet her blonde gaki. She pulled her with her, wiping her eyes and their conversation went on with the two lost in their own conversations as Temari told her how Naruto was and if he was fine. Well again and again much to her chagrin.

She was happy that the Kages had a separate gathering and she didn't have to see any other shinobi to ruin her mood.

* * *

 **Evening**

* * *

Naruto walked into the gates of his eyes to see the door locked and was surprised that Temari hadn't returned until now. He unlocked the door and stepped in. he pulled off his sandals and kept them in the shoe rack walking in. he went to the kitchen and towards the fridge for a bottle of water when two slender arms slid around his waist from behind and a small soft form pressed itself on his back making him smile.

"I'm sorry." He heard a small whisper and brought his him in front of her, picking her up and sat her up on the counter to see her puffy red eyes and cheeks and knew she must have been crying. He cupped the both of her cheeks gently and smelt the smell of liquor and saw the slight blush on her cheeks over their puffiness.

"Hime have you been drinking?" he asked softly in a concerned voice and she smiled and nodded with droopy eyes pointing her fingers to a small amount on the empty bottle in her hand with a small slurry smile

"Just a little." He heard her small whisper with a hiccup and glanced back to see their cabinet of liquor open and several empty bottles lying around the ground making him sigh as he pulled her close in a hug.

"You shouldn't be drinking so much hime. It's not good for you." He said softly cradling the drunk girl in his arms while she snuggled in his embrace with a sob.

"It made me forget." She said with a hiccup and he rubbed her back softly making her feel fuzzy and smile feeling his hands over his. She tightened her hold on him and smiled, she missed feeling this safety even for a few hours.

"Forget what?" he asked gently and heard another soft sob and kept rubbing her back gently.

"I felt so scared that you hated me after I made fun of our moment like that." She said now crying in his arms and hugging him tightly. Naruto smiled softly and hugged her gently and brought her sniffing and cute face in front of him, wiping it softly like a little child as she giggled slurrily with a hiccup.

"I could never hate you Mari-chan." He whispered softly and she looked at his warm and concerned eyes and hugged him.

"I am sorry, really I didn't mean to I just…" she was cut off as Naruto pressed his lips onto her softly in a small kiss and looked at her lovingly.

"It's alright." He said reassuringly and she sniffled in his arms like a little child.

"Naru-kun?" she whispered and he smiled brushing her blond unruly locks softly in his hair.

"Hai Mari-chan?" he asked softly and she smiled snuggling in his chest.

"Aishiteru." She whispered softly making him smile and kiss her head softly as he cradled his cute girl in his arms.

"Aishiteru Mari-chan." He said softly and she nodded in his chest feeling nice in his arms.

"Naru-kun take me to bed." She said softly and he smiled and swept her off her feet and carried her to their room and put her on the bed gently. He tried to walk away when she caught his wrist and looked at him pleadingly.

"Stay." She whispered biting her lip and he nodded with a soft smile, taking off his jacket and got into bed with her. She cuddled up to him and her eyes drooped from the alcohol in her system.

"Naru-kun, I'll make it up to you, I'm sorry." She whispered with a cute yawn and her eyes drooped in sleep making him smile. He brushed her hair softly and kissed the top of her head while she lulled herself to his rhythmic heartbeat.

"Shh sleep now we'll talk tomorrow." He whispered and she nodded as he felt a small drop on his neck and saw a tear leak from her eye before she fell asleep making him smile sadly.

"My baka blonde wife, I love you too much." He whispered closing his eyes as he looked at the softly breathing mop of sandy blonde hair on his chest with a small smile and pulled her closer while he too fell asleep.

* * *

 **Next Morning**

* * *

Temari woke up to a splitting headache and sat up a bit holding her head with a groan.

"I drank too much." She whispered to herself feeling the intense headache and saw the empty bed beside her and teared up. She buried her face in her hands and cried to herself.

"He didn't come home, he hates me." She sobbed to herself when the door to the room opened startling her and in came Naruto with a tray full of breakfast. He got into bed and put the tray on her lap kissing her head softly making her blush from his tender treatment. She watched him with childlike eyes sniffing a bit when she saw his warm smile. He picked up a small tablet from the tray and put her in front of her mouth with his finger under her chin.

"Mari-chan open your mouth." He said softly and she opened it a bit as he placed the pill in and put the glass of orange juice to her lips as she swallowed it and saw him sit beside her and pull her close to him in a warm hug rubbing her arm and kissing her head softly making her snuggle in his arms.

"My baka hime, what were you thinking drinking so much? You had seven bottles of sake from what I counted in the cabinet." He said softly scolding her and she hugged him tightly.

"Ten." She whispered and he looked at her surprised with a mild glare making her look down.

"I had three at the party too." She whispered biting her lip and saw his glare when she heard him sigh and pull her in a bear hug.

"You're not angry?" she whispered and he chuckled softly surprising her.

"I think you don't remember last night huh? I forgave you last night when you fell asleep in my arms hime." He said softly making her smile childishly in his arms as she tightened her hold on him.

"You were with me last night?" she asked blushing and he nodded kissing her head brushing her blonde locks.

"Of course I was. Where would I go other than my hime's arms. Plus, you weren't letting me go you know." He said playfully and she punched his chest softly with a blush.

Of course I wasn't, you're mine." She said softly and he chuckled and nodded.

"Hai and you're mine hime. Now have breakfast, you skipped on dinner for sake last night too. You need the most important meal of the day." He said softly and started feeding her much to her embarrassment but she liked being treated like that with his warm smile and loving eyes looking at her so tenderly. She fed him back slowly with the same affection as he moved the tray aside and sat with her settled on his lap. He kept running his fingers in her hair softly.

"I was worried you know, so much sake can harm you." He said softly and she nodded in his chest.

"I'm sorry." She whispered and he kissed her lips softly and gave her a heart-warming smile.

"But I'm glad you drank at home, where you were safe and could sleep in my arms with me watching over you." He said softly and she looked down blushing a bit making him curious.

"Umm I went to Kankuro and Gaara to you know." She whispered and he looked at her with his eyebrows shot up and heard her.

"Well Gaara told me to come back and that you would forgive me instantly." She whispered and he smiled and kissed her forehead softly.

"And he was right." He said softly and she nodded with a blush.

"But I was scared and my gaze turned to the liquor cabinet and…" she trailed off and he smiled and hugged her.

"Looks like I'll have to refill the cabinet ne?" he said playfully and she giggled and nodded.

"The finals are today hime." He said softly and she nodded in his chest seeing they had a couple of hours and looked at him.

"We should take a bath; I'll prepare the tub." She said blushing and he chuckled and nodded.

"Hai and today only a bath and no making out or anything." He said and she tried to argue when he put his fingers on her lips.

"I don't want to break my promise now that we have skipped out a day another won't matter. But be ready because tomorrow I'll make love to you from dawn till dusk." He said softly, rubbing her cheek and she nodded with a blush dreaming how good it would feel to make love for so long. They took a simple bath that took half an hour with them talking to each other softly about their looking forward to their start of a family before they got out and started getting dressed. Temari put on her underwear as she looked at him in his pants and got behind him wrapping her arms around his naked torso, feeling his warm body she loved so much.

"Where are you going to be today Naru-kun?" she asked and he smiled looking at the scroll with the official Kazekage seal with a small smile.

"Oh Gaara has given me a special duty today." He said softly and brought her hand up from his chest kissing it softly making her smile and turn him around. She wrapped her slender arms around his neck and looked at him lovingly while he kept his hands on her hourglass naked waist in just her black laced bra and panties.

"What duty?" she asked softly and he smiled mischievously and shook his head.

"Oh you'll see, it's a surprise." He said and she looked at him pleadingly when he gave her a soft kiss with a smile.

"You'll be surprised alright." He said grinning making her pout and causing him to laugh as they started getting ready for the day.

* * *

 _ **Author's notes : CLIFFHANGER! Now that's being evil! (kukukuku). The big reveal next time with a little argument and making up in this chapter as well as the authoritative streak of our blonde goofball being set up and Tsunade to realize her gaki is still alive. She wouldn't tell anyone and the bomb will drop on the stage of the finals. Now expect the story to get interesting and as for the cliff-hanger… well I couldn't resist. But don't worry the next update will be soon with this getting story the first for the next chapter when enough reviews roll in, so hit that review button while I work on the chapter. Well until next time keep reading and reviewing Ja Ne ;)**_


	16. Chapter 16

**Naruto : Desert Flower**

* * *

 **Sunagakure no sato**

* * *

 **Suna Main Stadium**

* * *

The stage for the finals of the chunin exams was set as the buzzing of the crowd anticipating to see the young talent of their villages waited eagerly. The betting counters were taking bets with their respective people going through the crowds with several betting charts for people to place their bets from their seats and in between the matches. One half of the stadium was filled with the crowd from Suna while the other half had various other village's audiences and various people there to witness the biggest co-hosting of the chunin exams in history. It was the first time that the 'Big Five' had decided to send their candidates altogether in a single crop pool.

The Daimyos and various other dignitaries sat in their own personal VIP stands as they looked at the best arrangements they had ever seen at such a big event with a huge smile. Several ANBU were flanking the stadium hidden in their covers watching with hawk like eyes, ready and prepared with several orders in case any of the possible scenarios arose as was the order by their military commander. Up in the stands four of the Five Kages sat in their seats with their official hats over them representing their respective villages with pride. Everyone waited with bated breaths for their Kazekage and the main host of the finals to arrive and start the big event.

"Hmph these young people, no respect for punctuality. I knew it he was too young to be a Kage." Grumbled the Tsuchikage making the Mizukage giggle.

"Oh come now Tsuchikage-dono, there is still time for the ceremonies to proceed and with the preparations that I've seen for now he seems to be quite a capable leader if I do say so myself." She said making the man grumble that he should be here before time as the Raikage spoke up.

"I wish to see the talent that Suna has been hiding. I hear they have trained quite a few capable shinobi but the news has been slim since their defense systems were upgraded." He said and Tsunade smirked under her hat waiting with her breath held for the one person she was waiting to get a glance of for the first time in three years. She knew she might even cry if she saw him in front of all these coots but she couldn't care less as she tuned their voices out and kept looking around for the face with three whiskers and sun kissed blonde hair that was completely missing which annoyed her to no end.

"So Hokage-dono aren't you curious too?" asked Mei and Tsunade looked at her surprised as she hadn't heard her really well.

"Huh Mizukage-dono you say something?" she asked innocently making Ao behind her to chuckle lightly when a dark aura surrounded her as she turned her glance to the man who gulped.

"Ao shut up or I'll kill you." She said sweetly making him sweat and shiver and for Tsunade to sweat drop while she turned her gaze back to the stands to find the familiar mop of blonde hair.

* * *

 **Meanwhile in the stands for the Jounins…**

* * *

Temari stood in the stands in an elegant white kimono with blue desert lilies at the bottom near her thighs and her shinobi equipment strapped on. She had her large battle fan in a seal in her wrist, courtesy of baka blonde husband that she didn't have to carry it around everywhere on her back. She had two small fans in her sleeves always at the ready for any kinds of problems. She had chosen this particular colour for her clothes to match it with her husband's perfectly and had her hair in a usual loose bun that Naruto had grown quite fond of in the past few days seeing her do it like that and she didn't have the heart to refuse him anything.

She leaned on the railings with a soft sigh wondering where he was or what surprise really he had for her. From his grin she knew it was most likely going to be big but she wanted him with her by her side and his arm around her waist like he always did. Speaking of problems…

"Hey there beautiful…" she heard the flirtatious and annoying voice of that thrice damned Uchiha and didn't even bother to scowl in his direction let alone give him any indication she had heard him which annoyed him to no end but he forced it down. That is the fire he loved in her so much anyways.

"Come on why the long face, I'm here now aren't I?" he said sweetly coming beside her and tried to wrap an arm around her waist when Temari's eyes glanced at him dangerously. He saw it and shivered at her icy look but decided to go ahead anyways when he felt two slices on his palms, drawing blood and yelped shaking off the blood and looked at her shocked.

"Keep your hands to yourself Uchiha, no one touches me beside my husband. You understand that?" she asked icily hiding her small fans by shutting them close with a flick and in her loose sleeves of the kimono, turning her eyes to the stadium not looking at the horror stricken and wide eyed gaze of the Uchiha.

"H-Husband?" he stuttered out in a rare instant while she sighed tiredly. He was just too damn annoying and she had half a heart to stuff her battle fan in his mouth just to shut him up.

"Yes husband, I was married to my fiancée a couple of weeks ago. Now shut up and keep your eyes on the stadium instead of me." She said in an irritated tone while he stood stunned at her words and a moment later he grit his teeth and activated his Sharingan.

"Where is this husband of yours?" he asked angrily and she looked at him with a raised eyebrow at his tone and his bloodline that he had activated.

"He'll be here why what do you want with him?" she asked coldly and he smirked.

"Oh I'll show you how much of a mistake you made marrying that useless Sand shinobi instead of an Uchiha, an elite. Then you'll see a princess like you belongs with me as the Uchiha matriarch. Don't worry I'll forgive you for your mistake easily and let you make it up to me." He said sweetly and she stared at him blankly as if he was stupid.

"You just don't know when to quit, do you Uchiha?" she asked and was annoyed at the way he looked her up and down like he was undressing her making her feel uncomfortable before he smirked.

"Not when the prize is so good." He said smoothly and she sighed.

"So you wish to fight him?" she asked trying to get his attention elsewhere before the Last Uchiha lost the thing that made him a man. He nodded much to her surprise and a giggle escaped her lips startling the Uchiha who smiled at hearing her angelic voice and soft giggle.

"That I would love to see, I just can't wait for it. It would be priceless to see the Last Uchiha get his ass handed to him in a fight and take you down a notch or two." She said in giggles making him furious. She wanted to tell him who he really was but poking him like this was just too much damn fun.

"You think he can beat me the last true heir of the Sharingan?" he asked furiously and she laughed harder much to his annoyance.

"Of course he can, maybe your brother might be a good challenge for him but you…" she trailed off in giggles as her stomach hurt from imagining a blue and black Uchiha with Naruto standing in front of him with just a little hard breath. Oh she couldn't stop her giggles. Meanwhile Sasuke hadn't been this humiliated in his life. He saw how she found it hilarious and even had the nerve to say he was nothing compared to his brother. Just as he was about to say something the rest of the contingent from Konoha came and Temari greeted them with a forced smile like the rest of them and Sasuke went silent in the back standing beside her by the railing. He glanced at her small smile and the way a lock of hair was coming near her eye and her perfect hourglass figure that he noted in with his Sharingan.

She was perfect for him, born to be his wife. He would show that no name loser who he had managed to tick off he mused furiously. He wanted her, her strong attitude, those looks, the possibility of strong kekkei genkai in his future children and her royal blood. Yes, he would have her even if he had to beat that husband of hers to the ground he mused venomously. Every leaf shinobi there saw his unusually large scowl and the little bits of killing intent he was releasing with the small glances he sent to the way of the Suna princess. Sakura looked down in sadness and shame seeing those glances.

Kakashi and Jiraiya stood beside her noting how she didn't even spare them a glance and Jiraiya coughed to get her attention and got a small glance showing he had it and smile.

"Temari-hime I must say that the preparations were done really well." He said trying to start a conversation and all he got was a small nod with a smile making him sigh. Kakashi decided to make some headway as they were told to get to talk to her and make her know how nice Konoha could be for her.

"So Temari-hime, how is life in Suna?" he asked and eye smiled when he saw her head turn to him completely with a raised eyebrow. She clearly wasn't expecting that question and mulled over it for a minute. Suna, she thought as the desert and sand came to her mind, her early not so good childhood. But then the thought of her blonde baka came to her mind and how he had turned her world upside down. From changing her brother completely to the point of capturing her heart she just couldn't get enough of him. A pretty pink blush spread across her cheeks as she thought of how he would hold her and she would snuggle for his warmth with a giggle. She still felt afraid since the incident last day and didn't understand if he had really forgiven her or just said it like that and was still holding it in him. But the last kiss he gave her when they were leaving came to her mind returning her blush and smile making her look at the Kage box where Gaara had just made an entry with a fond smile.

"I love it, wouldn't exchange it for anything in the world." She said in a happy tone making Jiraiya and Kakashi glance at each other and sigh as they too turned their gazes to the now completely filled Kage box.

* * *

 **Up in the Kage box…**

* * *

Gaara entered the personal space to host the Five Kage with Baki and Kankuro along his back as his personal bodyguards. Every Kage turned silent and turned their eyes towards the Kazekage who was hosting the year's exams. Tsunade was the first to break the uneasy silence.

"Greetings Kazekage-dono, you are just on time." She said with a smile while Onoki grunted, begrudgingly agreeing with her. Gaara nodded politely and took his seat in the centre with Tsunade and Mei to his right while Ay and Onoki to his left.

"I'm sorry but some last minute talks with the council came up." He said formally and they all nodded knowing the council meeting's problems, especially Tsunade who thought of the old coots that were coiled on their council seats like slithering snakes.

"No worries you are just on time Kazekage-dono, but I must say these are the best exams I've ever seen even if they are my first as Kiri's representative Kage." Said Mei and he nodded with a smile and he turned to Ay who gained his attention.

"Yes, I must say you are a strong leader Kazekage-dono. I've seen the order and obedience as well as the proper conduct of the shinobi in Suna and I must say for one so young you have kept your forces disciplined like they should be." He said with a hint of respect. He always thought that shinobi should view their leaders as they should be and how to be in conduct. He was a strong leader himself and respected the young man to have trained them so well.

"I really am grateful for your compliment Raikage-dono but it isn't me who has kept them on such a tight leash of respect and order." He said making all the four Kage raise their eyebrows.

"What do you mean? You are the Kazekage so you lead them, isn't it so in your case?" asked Onoki completely bewildered and Gaara smiled and nodded making his confusion to increase.

"It is as you say Tsuchikage-dono but I have taken off a lot of burden from myself to take a closer inspecting at the diplomatic damages done in my father's reign." He said making the short man nod but not lessen any confusion. Mei was happy that Suna was trying to accept its past mistakes, she would do it too if necessary and try and forge a new way towards an alliance she mused trying to think of a way to strengthen her weakened village.

"I do not understand Kazekage-dono, what do you mean 'taken off a lot of burden'?" asked Ay, he always liked things to be straightforward and simple and was getting confused at his cryptic words.

"I have handed over the control over my shinobi forces including my ANBU corps to a new military commander appointed by me and the complete favour of the council. He still reports to me and has to gain approval of the council but most of the military affairs are handled by him personally shedding off my burdens tremendously." He said making them all go wide eyed and Onoki to almost faint.

"So much control even if you watch over him, was it really wise?" asked Onoki and Gaara smiled and nodded.

"I trust him, the council trusts him and most of all he has the respect of my forces down to the last man. They would follow him into war if he says so and his loyalty to the village is unquestionable." He said shocking them further and Tsunade found her voice overcoming her shock.

"That is some trust and loyalty to have such favour Kazekage-dono, he must have done something quite impressive to have such trust from you." She asked thinking how she couldn't imagine a single person in her village who had the backbone and trust that she could do the same for. The others thinking along the same lines and Gaara nodded looking over the half of Suna filled stands with a smile.

"Yes over the past three years he has become a vital part of the village and going through the ranks like they were mere steps of stairs. I have offered him my hat many times but he doesn't like the paperwork." He said getting chuckles from all four when Mei caught on to his words. Gaara was happy that all of them were talking like this and didn't mind giving out such trivial information if it helped solidified their trusts and a chance to at least be neutral if not allied with them.

"Gaara-dono you said just over the past three years, was he not a part of your village before then?" she asked curiously and much to their disbelief he shook his head gaining stupefied looks from all of them.

"No Temari found him almost on the verge of dying in a small village in our lands when she was on a small mission. She brought him here and I offered him a position in my ranks. He accepted and after rigorous training and after many actions that strengthened the village and united them he gained respect from everyone to the point he is at today." He said with pride gaining nods as well as a whole new level of curiosity from them. Ay though was interested in only one thing.

"He must be quite strong then?" he asked curiously and Gaara nodded seeing Kankuro rub his butt muttering about temperamental insane blondes and he stifled a chuckle remembering the day he and Kankuro ran through the village wreaking havoc.

"He is the best Suna has to offer, and I have no shame to say that in a straight fight I myself am no match for him. His skills are way above my own. As long as he is here I know my village is safe." He said gaining dropped jaws from the four. To have such respect and strength above a jinchuriki and an acting Kage was something else. Ay knew the strength a jinchuriki held and knew how he had complete control just like his brother so he must be quite the man.

Tsunade though was a different story, her face had become completely emotionless and behind her mask her mind ran a mile a second. Three years ago, Temari found him, Gaara trusts him, he changed so much. She was starting to have a guess of who he was and turned her eyes to Gaara who saw her look and knew she was close to figuring it out. He just sent a small smirk and a curt nod in her direction making her eyes widen in shock and for her mind to go blank.

"Where is he Kazekage-dono? I would like to meet this man you speak so highly of." He asked making Gaara smile widely gaining curious looks from the three except Tsunade whose mind had locked in on itself.

"You will see him in a few minutes after all I have appointed him as the proctor of the finals." He said gaining nods from all of them and Tsunade had her eyes glued to the entrance to the field to catch the first glance of her blonde gaki before anyone else. He must be so big now, she mused and wanted to cry but kept her stoic mask up perfectly waiting for the time she could get him alone and crush him to death in her hug. Gaara stood up seeing the time and the whole stadium's expectant looks towards the Kage box and channelled chakra to his throat to make his voice boom in the stadium.

"People of Sunagakure and our esteemed guests from various other nations…" he started gaining the attention of everyone a a lot of buzzing and excited murmurs to break out of the crowd. All the rest of the Kage's were happy at seeing their people in the other half of the stands so happy and excited even though being in a different village.

"This year is the first time in the history of the hidden villages that the Great Five have come together with a team in the same exams and will show the world the prowess each of our villages hold. So please give a round of applause to show your support to your prospective genins." He said pointing to the nervous genins and gained claps from all around and cheers that their villages were the best making him smile.

"So as the Godaime Kazekage of Sunagakure no sato, I Gaara no Sabaku declare the finals of the chunin exams to begin." He said gaining hoots and cheers from all the stadium and held his hand up. Everyone stopped and lowered their cheers a bit seeing his image holding a hand up on the big spectator's screen and watched him curiously as to what was remaining. He smiled in amusement and spoke up.

"Well before the cheers again we cannot have the finals without a proctor now can we?" he asked and gained laughs from all over the stadium including the Kages that they had cut him off before he could call the proctor and he smiled and spoke up.

"So for this year's finals, I call upon Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze, our very own Military Commander and my dear friend as the proctor for the finals of this year's chunin exams." He said and was amused as the whole stadium turned deathly silent. He saw the wide eyed looks from the half holding the audience from the guest villages and the dropped jaws of most of the elder jounins in the jounin stands. He turned around to see Baki and Kankuro holding back their laughs on the back and saw Mei, Onoki and Ay's mouths opening and closing but no words were coming out. He saw Tsunade's still blank face and her intent narrow eyes to the closed gates of the field making him smile as he took his seat.

Mei was the first of them to break out of her stupor and stuttered out.

"D-Did you j-just say Namikaze?" she asked in disbelief and looked at the owlish eyes of Ay and Onoki and much to their horrors nodded with a smile. The gates to the field opened and in walked, much to their horrors almost a perfect replica of the Yondaime Hokage only with a blue cloak donned instead of his red and those three whiskers on each of his cheeks. Naruto walked calmly out into the stadium towards the middle waving a hand through his unruly hair making the hearts of most of the woman in the stadium swoon over those cerulean warm eyes.

"I-It can't be." Whispered the Tsuchikage seeing the perfect reincarnation of Minato Namikaze standing in the middle of the eerily quiet stadium. The bodyguards behind him were moving their mouths with no words coming out when the crowds from Suna erupted in cheers.

"NAMIKAZE-SAMA!"

"IT'S HIM! HE'S SO HOT, I WISH I HAD HIM TO MYSELF!"

"HE'S SO COOL, AND HE'S THE PROCTOR, MAN I WISH I WAS A GENIN THIS YEAR!"

"NARUTO-SAMA!"

"LEAVE TEMARI-HIME AND MARRY ME!"

"NA-RU-TO - NA-MI-KA-ZE!"

The cheers rang throughout the Suna side of the stadium while Naruto stood arms crossed and eyes closed to let the commotion to calm down with a small smile. Temari meanwhile had the urge to kill several females in the crowd and was growling a little while flicking out her fans. Why couldn't those sluts see he was hers now? She thought fuming when she saw Naruto's one eye open and directly meet her gaze and a little smile on his face. She blushed as he gave her a wink and became the centre of attention of nearly a thousand people.

" _That idiot! Now everyone's staring… oh he looks so cute and he doesn't even glance at those hussies. That's my Naru-kun!"_ she squealed inwardly though was just blushing on the outside and had resealed her fans completely.

"Aww!" rang the sound of many females in the stadiums with envious eyes towards Temari making her turn a scarlet red and glare at them to tell them he was hers and hers alone.

Sasuke meanwhile stood there frozen. The dobe was still alive and was apparently the husband of the Suna princess, but what really caught his eye and envy was the respect and admiration he was getting from the people. Why couldn't he, an Uchiha, an elite not get such appreciation while the loser who he made the village throw out was getting it. He looked at Temari to see her look at the man in the middle look at him so lovingly with a warm blush making him seeth in jealousy and anguish.

" _What have you done to earn so much respect and the love of such a girl of royal blood Naruto?"_ he thought gritting his teeth. Jiraiya and Kakashi meanwhile had their jaws on the ground along with every other elder jounin.

"H-How c-could I-I have been s-so blind. H-He's sensei's s-son." Stuttered out Kakashi in disbelief seeing his sensei and the closest thing to a mother's son standing in front of him looking like a carbon copy of them both especially with that cloak and those two words embossed on his back made their eyes widen. The word 'flash' rung through each and everyone's head.

"H-How did he find out?" stuttered out Jiraiya and everyone turned to him in shock and disbelief.

"You knew!" screamed Kurenai, Asuma and Gai at the same time but didn't get any response from the man who was frozen still looking at the calm and collected form of the blonde standing in the middle.

Sakura had tears in her ears and a million-watt smile. As soon as she had seen him she had tuned out every word. He was still alive, now she didn't have to carry the burden of his death anymore and her bright baka Naruto could come back with her. Meanwhile Neji and Lee were smiling while Neji was stopping his teammate from jumping in to give him a hug to bask with his friend in the 'Springtime of Youth'. Kiba was the first one who formed a coherent question, breaking out of his stupor.

"Hey who's this Namikaze fella, I thought Naruto's last name was Uzumaki. Was he adopted or something?" he asked and every rookie now thought the same thing when they heard a last sigh.

"Troublesome." Muttered Shikamaru with an amused smirk watching Naruto.

" _You always were troublesome Naruto but this is a whole new level of troublesome even for you, you troublesome blonde. And on top of that you married another troublesome blonde. *sigh* Troublesome."_ he thought watching the blonde and then rose an eyebrow as almost every head on the stand turned to him, especially the rookies, making him nervous.

"What?" he asked breaking the silence and got looks making him look stupid and sighed tiredly.

"Troublesome." he muttered getting bonked by Kiba.

"Will you just get to the point of who this Namikaze is and why almost half the stadium is staring at him in horror or in some cases bloody murder?" he asked getting nods from everyone as they pointed to the stands holding the Iwa and Kumo audiences and sighed.

"You people never really did hear history lessons did you?" he asked tiredly getting sheepish smiles from everyone when a rude remark came in.

"Will you just get to the point already Nara?" said the Uchiha through gritted teeth making Shikamaru smirk.

"Why are you so anxious today _Uchiha_?" he asked suggestively getting a death glare when he pointed to the blushing Temari and nodded.

"What was the name of the Fourth Hokage?" he asked getting stupid looks from everyone when Sakura spoke up. She always did pride herself for her academics after all.

"Everyone knows his name beside you, you lazy baka! His name was Minato Namikaze..." she trailed off and Shikamaru smirked seeing the saucer wide eyes of everyone and nodded looking back down at the stadium.

"Exactly." he said answering all their questions with just one question and got stupefied looks from everyone when Sasuke spoke up.

"There is no way a clanless loser, a dead last like him could be the son of the Fourth Hokage." he sneered getting a frown from the Nara heir.

"Well if you wouldn't know _Uchiha..."_ he started getting a glare from the small nitpicks of the NAra who promptly ignored them and continued. "... To take over the name of such a powerful and respected clan, one must have legitimate proofs about their lineage. It is clear that he must have provided those to the Sand council and the Wind Daimyo before he was allowed to take up the name officially. You should know the charter of clan laws better than anyone, oh so noble _Uchiha._ " he said with a smirk making Sasuke release his killing intents on the lazy Nara who just shrugged them off when all of them were startled as they heard a voice boom in the stadium from the Kage Box.

"There is no way i believe he is the son of Minato Namikaze, my only rival and respected friend from Konoha!" he shouted getting the attention of Naruto who just gave him an annoyed look making him furious at his silent rebuttal making him look like a fool when he heard several people laugh.

"SAY SOMETHING DAMN IT!" he shouted and Naruto threw another annoyed look and decided to say something before he blew a gasket.

"Believe what you will, he was my father and i am his official heir." he said calmly making his temper go through the roof. Before Cee or Darui could stop him he jumped off the Kage box and into the field making everybody gasp.

"THEN I'LL JUST SEE IF YOU ARE HIS SON OR NOT!" he shouted gaining terrified looks from everyone as the two Kage level shinobi stared each other off.

* * *

 _ **Author's notes : There is the next chapter and promptly another cliffhanger. Sorry for the delay but college exams and practicals are up so expect slower updates for now, just bear with it alright? And no I will not abandon my stories without prior notifications so don't worry about it. I may throw some stories in which are lying around on my laptop as it is to keep you guys entertained every now and then but for a few days expect some slower updates. And I thank everyone who has hit the review button and promptly given me the motivation to write the story further. Finally I have reach a 100k+ words so it is a nice lengthy story now eh? Well let's just see what happens the next time so until next time keep reading and as always keep reviewing to get those updates alright? Ja Ne ;)**_


	17. Chapter 17

**Naruto : Desert Flower**

* * *

 **Sunagakure no sato**

* * *

 **Suna Stadium**

* * *

Wind rustled the dust in the tension filled field of the stage all set for the chunin exams. The highly buffy Raikage threw his hat to the side while rolling his shoulders to work out the kinks all the while keeping his narrow eyes fixed on the blonde shinobi in front of him. Naruto stood calmly as if there wasn't a Kage who had challenged him and had such a short fuse that he could blow up any minute.

"Raikage-sama..." he spoke calmly with all the eyes and ears around the stadium now fixated on the words of the soft spoken blonde standing in the middle.

"This is not the place or the time for a battle of the caliber you are looking for. I expect you to realize the damages it would cause to the stadium and no doubt disrupt the event that is about to take place." he spoke in his calm melodic voice making the Raikage ponder at his words for a moment before smirking.

"Why your father was never scared of a battle? You really his son?" he taunted the blonde who narrowed his eyes at the Raikage as he started to raise his chakra levels, causing the ground around him to crack and the whole audience felt the pressure of the man's presence.

"I say it again Raikage-sama there is no need for any unnecessary violence..." he trailed off when he saw lightning cover the man completely and he let his arms fall to his sides and prepare himself for it.

"Very well then if you wish it so much then I'll finish it as quickly as possible and then get on with the exams." he spoke calmly making the muscled man growl.

"You have got some nerve to say that you could take me down. But I appreciate a man who isn't afraid of his own death standing in front of him." he spoke smugly getting no retort from the blonde in front of him making him clench his teeth and the lightning sparkled and his hair stood from the powerful chakra he was exuding.

" **Raiton no Yoroi! Full power!"** he exclaimed making Naruto raise an eyebrow at the incredulous amounts of power the man was exuding. A moment later in the blink of an eye he was surrounded by Suna ANBU from all sides with wind chakra laced swords pointed at many of the man's vital points. The Raikage however was still glaring down at the blonde in front of him.

"ANBU stand down" he spoke calmly making them stiffen and retract their blades hesitantly, quite unsure of the order and nodded while bowing to their commander before vanishing into thin air. He took out two three pronged kunais from his hip pouch in both of his hands with a mere flick of his wrists making the Raikage narrow his eyes at the infamous kunais before smirking smugly.

"Yes that's it now you are taking me seriously so called son of Namikaze. Let's see if you really are anything like the man who you claim to be your father." he said and crouched down before taking off in a blur of blue, cracking the ground behind him and leaving a trail of dust. He was in Naruto's face in an instant with his arm cocked back in his signature move to cleave the blonde's head off. He smirked when he saw the same calm expression of the blonde, not noticing when Naruto flicked up one of the kunais in the air slowly when his elbow reached the blonde's neck and he met his black eyes with blonde's baby blue in a moment of recognition.

" **LARIAT!"** he exclaimed making a crater where he landed and the whole audience was shell shocked at the turn of events. The spot where the two facing shinobi were, covered in a cloud of dust and debris from the Lightning shadow's last attack who stood up and smiled happily.

* * *

 **Meanwhile...**

* * *

The whole crowd was on it's feet with baited breaths as they watched the scene unfolding in front of them. The Suna half of the audience were worried for their beloved leader and commander while the rest of the crowd was wishing that the Raikage really had completed his claim and rid the world of the second coming of the Flash. The entire Kages contingent was clutching the railing with enough force to make it squeak and squirm under pressure while Gaara and Tsunade were leaking humongous amounts of killing intents.

The Jounin box however was a different matter altogether. Kakashi had already had his forehead protector raised as soon as the Raikage had jumped in and was surprised along with most of them when they heard a small voice.

"Eep!" squeaked out Temari with her hand covering her lips while a scarlet blush donned her cheeks. Many of them were quite confused including the two Sharingan wielders since they hadn't caught any sight of what had happened in the field or why Temari was squeaking like a shy princess.

"What's the matter Temari-hime?" asked Kakashi in a completely confused look got no reply from the girl who was just running her fingers softly over her lips with a little fond smile with her ever present blush.

" _That Baka!"_ she thought fondly bringing her other hand over her chest and her loving gaze watched the dust cloud settle and the silhouettes of the two figures came into everyone's eyes making them turn completely owlish.

What had really happened was that Naruto had flashed to the beacon in her ring in an instant and had given her a small peck before flashing back into the arena.

* * *

 **In the Field...**

* * *

The dust cloud settled and the Raikage straightened up when he felt the cold steel of a three pronged kunai touch his jugular and hummed with the heavy amounts of wind chakra flowing through it causing a trickle of blood to leak out of the man's neck. He smiled as the lightning coursed all around him and glanced back to see the lone blue eye visible to him glaring at him icily like the one's he remembered in the Third Great Shinobi War.

"It's over..." Naruto spoke calmly making the whole stadium erupt into chaos from the Suna contingent's side.

"Is it?" asked the Raikage smugly making those icy eyes narrow at the man who dispersed in a bolt of lightning making the blonde get zapped and stunned by the large amounts of electricity that it electrocuted him with.

"NOW IT'S OVER!" he roared turning around and launching a fist charged with his chakra into the blonde's chest with a smirk. However his eyes widened when the blonde dispersed in a puff of smoke and his fist passed harmlessly through thin air.

" _Shadow Clone! That sly bastard!"_ he thought furiously while his eyes roamed here and there.

"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?! SHOW YOURSELF NAMIKAZE!" the short tempered Raikage roared while looking around furiously at being made a fool in front of such a large audience but for the life of him he couldn't see where the man went.

* * *

 **Meanwhile in the Kage stands...**

* * *

Gaara let out a sigh of relief and palmed his face while plopping down back in his chair. He slapped his hand over his face much to the confusion of the rest of the Kage's.

"Kazekage-sama where did he go?" asked Mei voicing it out for all of them with Tsunade looking at him in childlike curiosity. He smiled a little much to their surprise when they heard Kankuro snicker.

"Whenever you can't find Naruto, look towards where Temari is. It is the golden rule of our village these days..." Gaara said making their heads turn to the jounin box in a whiplash and sure enough he was right.

* * *

 **Jounin box...**

* * *

Temari was standing with her hands over her mouth in worry for her baka blonde husband when a pair of arms slid around her waist from the back and pulled her into a firm chest gently. She closed her eyes with a smile, her hand finding it's way to the whiskered cheek landing over her shoulder when she felt lips press on her neck softly.

"Worried about me hime?" asked an amused Naruto making her smirk and let out a soft moan when she felt him nib her softly on her neck.

"Baka..." she whispered making all the heads in the box to turn to her and take a step back in shock at seeing the blonde embracing Temari from behind and playing with her while she was snuggled in his arms.

" _When the hell did he get here? I didn't even notice a flicker of movement. He could have killed us in a moment without us even noticing it!"_ were the thoughts of most of them especially the seething Uchiha who couldn't believe that the dobe was faster than what his eyes could even begin to comprehend but all the more angry at his actions towards the princess in his arms.

"WHAT THE HELL!" shouted Kiba in shock falling on his butt and pointing his finger at the blonde accusingly.

"When did you get here?" he asked loudly making all eyes turn to Naruto who ignored them completely and continued on pleasuring his hime much to the annoyance of most of the crowd who were looking on in envy especially a certain Uchiha.

The Raikage however heard the Inuzuka's exclamation and looked at the Kage box angrily and immediately threw a tantrum at being ignored so easily.

"COME DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT!" he roared making Naruto glance up and kissed her jawline while making eye contact with furious Kage and closed them as she tilted her head to the side and let out another soft moan making most of the males in the audience blush heavily at the public display of affection. The Suna audience was used to this already but it still didn't make them any less flustered.

The Raikage saw red when the blonde ignored him again and powered up his **Raiton no Yoroi** yet again and charged at the jounin box when much to his annoyance Naruto again disappeared in a Yellow Flash and appeared in the middle of the field near a kunai with Temari being carried in his arms bridal style. But it was his eyes that were now glaring at the man intimidatingly who jumped back in the field. Naruto put Temari down who stepped by his side when he pulled her behind him in a protective manner and glared at the Raikage in front of him.

"You could have hurt my wife Raikage..." he said threateningly surprising everyone in the edge that his voice now held and how furious he sounded and the drop of any suffix adorning his respect for the man which had fallen quite a few pegs in a few moments.

"Then you shouldn't have gone and hid behind her back Namikaze. Now come on and fight me seriously!" he shouted making Naruto purse his lips and unpluck the bindings of his cloak. He pulled it off to reveal his blue cut sleeves shirt showing his lean muscles and toned body as he turned around and put the cloak in Temari's arms who was looking at him worriedly. He smiled a little smile and cupped her cheek giving her a gently peck and leaned his forehead against hers to look into her worried teal eyes lovingly.

"Go and stand aside hime. This will be over in no more than five minutes." he whispered making her even more worried but he silenced her by putting his fingers on her lips.

"Trust me alright, I'll be fine..." he reassured her and she knew he was right but it didn't make her any less concerned for her reckless husband. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly for one last reassurance while he rubbed her back softly to calm her down.

"Be careful I still want you all to myself tomorrow like you promised me..." she whispered making him smile and nod. He pressed his lips on her forehead and nudged her to the side gently and out of harms way.

"Now off you go..." he said in a shooing motion while she stood to the side while clutching his cloak to her chest tightly. He turned around to see the smugly smiling face of Raikage who made another comment to rile him up.

"That woman has made you weak Namikaze. Just like that Uzumaki woman before her did for your father. A shinobi must not have such ties or distractions to anyone." he taunted the blonde who cracked his neck and glared at the man.

"You would do well to watch your mouth Raikage, my hime is my strength. I would level half the elemental nations if someone touched so much as a hair on her head in a moments notice." he said without a hint of hesitation making another chorus of 'Awws' to round the stadium by the female population while Temari's cheeks turned pink and she looked down to hide her embarrassed smile from everyone and suddenly found the cloak in her arms much more interesting. The Raikage chuckled and nodded with a smile.

"You are a spitting image of your father in both looks and character. Those were the same words he told me when I threatened him about your mother. His legacy lives on, too bad the allegiances have changed now..." he said in chuckles while Naruto took out two kunais and held them in his classic reverse grip while falling into his father's Hummingbird taijutsu style stance getting a wide eyed look from most of the Konoha jounins.

"What's with that look Kakashi?" asked Kurenai who still didn't get why they were so worked up over his stance when Gai answered seeing his eternal rival was in a state of shock.

"That is the personal style used by our very own and most youthful Yondaime Hokage Kurenai. It is said to be one of the most dangerous styles in Konoha rivalling the Gentle Fist and Goken due to the speed it requires the user to have. I never imagined I would see it once more in combat after sixteen years." he said in nostalgia when he remembered seeing the Yondaime in action during his youth and the impact the man had on the battlefield with his presence alone. And the blonde in front of him at the moment had almost the same aura that he had last seen sixteen years ago.

"Sensei..." Kakashi whispered in nostalgia at seeing the blonde standing there in the infamous taijutsu stance making Gai smile and shake his head sadly. It was too late for regrets now, his youthful student had now joined up and swore his allegiance to another village which from the looks of admiration in the audience loved him more than Konoha could ever hope to.

Naruto held his left hand in a half ram seal making the Raikage raise an eyebrow when markings appeared all over Naruto's body and vanished in an instant with a huge gust of air.

"What were those markings?" asked Sakura and this time Jiraiya found his voice.

"Those were resistance seals..." he whispered in amazement making her even more confused. "…they were created by the Uzumaki clan originally but were modified heavily by the Fourth to condition his body for the extreme speeds he was aiming for. They require the best of knowledge in sealing. Even I myself am not capable of creating seals of the caliber he is using at the moment." he whispered in a trance making Sakura nod and smile fondly while looking at the blonde. A blush rose to her cheeks as she saw the gentle smile and his peaceful calm expression even while he was facing down the strongest of the shinobi in the Land of Lightning.

"What now you're going to blow me away with some small gusts of winds?" taunted the Raikage himself charging up his Raiton armor but saw it didn't even have the slightest effect on Naruto and frowned.

"Alright then let's go!" he roared and disappeared in a bolt of lightning. He appeared right behind the blonde and swung his leg to cleave his head and was shocked when the blonde just crouched and swiped his leg in a horizontal arc which he jumped upon with a smirk.

" _The boy is good..."_ he thought and raised his leg up high and brought it down with a battle-cry.

" **Raiton Hammer!"** he roared as his heel made contact with plain ground instead of the blonde who just jumped back and held his hands in a cross guard as the Raikage bolted out of the dust cloud to take advantage of his blindness with a fist but was blocked easily. Naruto slid backwards and dug his kunai in the ground to halt his movement while looking up with his hair flowing in the wind with a small smile. This was fun!

The Raikage himself was having the same thoughts as he hadn't had anyone in years who could match him at the extreme speeds he was going at and the blonde was still evenly breathing which showed his speed had been attained through rigorous training and not just a short burst of chakra.

"I think that is enough warm up." said the Raikage and Naruto nodded with a little smile.

"Indeed." he spoke calmly when a shout was heard throughout the stadium.

"THAT WAS JUST A WARM UP! THEIR FLAMES OF YOUTH BURN SO BRIGHTLY GAI-SENSEI!" the stadium heard with another boom following behind it.

"INDEED MY YOUTHFUL STUDENT! NARUTO-KUN'S FLAMES BURN REALLY BRIGHTLY. HE IS IN THE SPRINGTIME OF HIS YOUTH!" boomed another eccentric spandex wearing man when Naruto sighed, already knowing what would follow.

OH LEE!

GAI-SENSEI!

LEE!

GAI-SENSEI!

"Somethings just never change..." he said to himself while shaking his head and Ay couldn't help but agree when he saw the two hugging each other and crying. The whole stadium was mortified as the memory was etched into their minds with the seductive unbreakable genjutsu appearing behind the two shinobis.

"That is just...wrong." the Raikage said and turned to the blonde with narrowed eyes when he threw his kunai into the air and went through three hand seals ending on Tiger.

" **Ninja Art : Kunai Kage Bunshin no jutsu!"** he exclaimed as the two kunai spread into a hundred and rained down over the field in a small grid while he took out another two and held them in his hands. The Raikage charged up his armor even more causing the lightning around him to cackle loudly and both disappeared in a yellow and purple flash respectively. Several flashes lit up the field and the echoes of small shock-waves were felt all around the stadium as they matched each other blow for blow at several points in a matter of seconds when the Raikage landed a punch on Naruto's chest and launched him back with a laugh.

"HA THERE YOU GO..." he trailed off when the 'Naruto' disappeared in yet another puff of smoke in mid air and he growled angrily.

"I hate clones..." he managed to speak before he felt something grinding behind his back and tearing right through his lightning armor and his skin.

" **Wind Style : Rasengan!"** he heard and was launched forward in a small beam of white chakra concentrated on his back and smashed face first into the wall. The whole stadium was stunned silent as Naruto retracted his hand and watched the Raikage stand up while dusting himself off like nothing happened at all.

"I think that should be enough Raikage-sama. We both know that the techniques required to take either one of us out of commission will level a really large area and endanger several lives. I think that I have showed you enough of my skills." Naruto said, wiping the blood off his busted lip that the Raikage had managed to punch in between their high speed clash.

" _Damn does the man hit hard!"_ he thought as he watched the lightning around the man to die down and he nodded in full agreement.

"Yes I have seen enough, you really are a Namikaze through and through no doubt about it. I'm glad that I have another person who could match me at my top speed and still breath to tell about it." he said with a hint of pride making Naruto smile himself.

"But you weren't going all out Raikage-sama..." he said walking up to the man who walked in front of the blonde himself while extending his hand.

"Neither were you son of Namikaze..." he said making the boy chuckle and he chuckled himself and both shook hands as a sign of mutual respect for each other when the crowd went abuzz in applauds and cheers. He felt his shoulders getting covered by his cloak and turned his head to have his lips captured by the love of his life. He instantly pulled his hime closer and kissed her back equally as their lips moved in perfect harmony and Temari ran her hands through his hair. She broke the kiss off and nuzzled her face in his neck while he held her close to him.

The Raikage turned around and jumped up the wall and into the Kage stands to see four highly amused Kages sitting there as they looked at his battered clothes.

"Raikage-sama!" he heard and turned around to see the blonde who was holding his wife close to him throw his hat to him which spun and reached him like a shuriken and he caught it with his lone hand while putting it on with a smirk and nod.

"Hime?" he whispered getting a soft 'Hmm' from her while she snuggled happily in his arms, all but forgetting that thousands were watching them, not that Naruto really cared.

"I have to start the finals so you might want to go back to the jounin lounge before I lose sight of the finals and decide to take you here and now..." he purred in her ear while nibbling it with his teeth softly. She giggled and hit his chest lightly while looking at him lovingly with her head tilted to the side.

"What am I going to do with you my baka blonde husband?" she asked playfully hearing the crowd cheering them on which made her cheeks turn pink but didn't take her eyes away from those loving baby blue eyes gazing at her so warmly.

"Well you could..." he started making her giggle and put her fingers over his lips.

"Oh hush, it was a rhetorical question..." she giggled and he chuckled himself while loosening his hold on her waist as she stepped back and kissed his cheek softly before jumping back into the half destroyed jounin lounge, ignoring the cheers of the crowd completely to lessen her embarrassment at showing such affections in front of them. But he was hers and she wasn't afraid to show it.

She saw the glazed and blushing faces of the males and mostly envious looks from the women in the lounge but what made her quite surprised was the venomous look the pink haired kunoichi was giving her but she shrugged it off as she heard Naruto start the official proceedings for the finals.

* * *

 **Meanwhile in the Kage stands...**

* * *

"That is quite a shinobi you have Kazekage-dono. Such talent at so young an age, a shame that the leaf let him go like that Tsunade-dono. I wish he had come to my land instead of yours Kazekage-dono." said the Raikage as he took his seat beside his fellow Kages. Tsunade just bit her lip while staring at her blonde longingly knowing how true the man's words were and no doubt each one of those fools must now be seeing what they had let go after the display that he had just put up.

"Indeed he his one of my most trusted shinobi and friend Raikage-dono. I still praise the day that I had him in my borders and took him under my command." said Gaara in his monotone voice when they heard the always silent Onoki speak up.

"Yes, he really is that man's son. Thankfully his allegiances are sorted out quite nicely now..." he said suggestively in a hint making a ghost of a smile appear on Gaara's face. Now that sounded like the man was hinting towards an alliance.

"Yes and he's quite the specimen too. Who was that girl that was with him Kazekage-dono?" asked Mei suggestively while licking her bottom lip as she eyed the blonde up and down hungrily. Gaara rose an eyebrow at her gaze and sighed, it looked like another one of those jealous females headache was coming up.

"That would be my sister and now his wife, Temari Namikaze." he said making Mei frown a bit before she smiled sweetly and nodded still keeping her hungry gaze on the blonde.

"I see, she must have some hold over him to keep him tied down to her..." she mused making Gaara sigh again. A major headache would come up if the Mizukage herself set her sights on Naruto. Temari would not be pleased, Mizukage or not her protectiveness over Naruto was unrivaled.

"Yeah that she does..." he whispered to himself and looked down into the arena to hear Naruto's voice ring across the stadium.

* * *

 **In the arena...**

* * *

"Will all the prospective candidates who have made it past the second round of the chunin exams please step down into the field?" he asked and watched the genins who had made it past the second round step out. There was a team from each of the major villages and he smiled as he watched the genin from the minor villages look a bit nervous. It made him go back to his own chunin exams back in the leaf where he had been the underdog and was hiding all his nervousness from everyone.

"Alright now we'll see who will whom with random matches being selected and appearing on the screens. He saw as the names of a genin from Iwa and Kiri came up and he turned to the group in front of him.

"Everyone besides the two please head over to the waiting area for their turns." he said making all of them save two go back and turned to the two in front of him.

"Now for the first match Hineki Momochi and Kishiki Kaizama, do you have any questions?" he asked and got a nod from the Kiri genin while he motioned for him to go on.

"This terrain isn't fair for us Kiri ninja, these are highly suited for all except us Water style users..." he said making Naruto smirk.

"The life of a shinobi isn't fair kid..." he said making the genin look down but he continued.

"But you are right, this is a stage to show the people your full potential and what you and your village have to offer so I guess I can consider you are right..." he said making the boy look up with a smile and confused look.

"But we are in a desert region, we need water sources for Water style jutsus like back in our land.." he trailed off when he saw the smile on Naruto's face and flushed when he ruffled his hair like a little child.

"Now stand back kiddo..." he said warmly making the two step back and jumped upwards much to the surprise of the crowd and the whole crowd heard a strange swirling noise. Many of the Konoha and Iwa shinobi had their second rounds of heart attacks as a huge ball of swirling chakra appeared in the blonde's hand.

" **Oodama Rasengan!"** he shouted and slammed the destructive sphere in the ground sending a shock-wave all throughout the stadium and formed a huge crater in a side of the field. The genins were confused as to what he was doing and watched as he started going through blazing fast hand seals and ended on Tori.

" **Water Style : Water Severing Wave!"** he shouted in focus as the moisture all around the stadium swirled around him and formed a wave of water as he faced his palms forward and caused the tidal wave to go ahead straight into the crater forming a small lake. The genins and audience alike ha their jaws dropped as they saw the proctor change the terrain to his choice in merely two moves and looked back in amusement to see the stunned faces of the two.

"Now there, the problem has been taken care off I guess so no complaints now I assume?" he asked the two who shook their heads dumbly and he nodded with a smile.

"Alright then I will step in if I see that the fight is hopeless and the genin is not able to fight back or is in danger for his life and hold the right to give the win to anyone at anytime. Any objections?" he asked the two getting only silence and nodded.

"Alright then Hajime!" he exclaimed and jumped back while the two started on their match.

* * *

 **Meanwhile in the Kage stands...**

* * *

"Amazing such mastery over the water element. He created such a high level water jutsu in a desert region with absolutely no water source, out of thin air!" spoke Mei in amazement as she appraised the fellow water user getting nods from Ay and Onoki while Tsunade was wide eyed.

"Wasn't that the special ability of the Nidaime Hokage Tsunade-dono?" asked Onoki getting a nod from the blonde woman who smiled proudly.

"Yes Ojii-sama was one of the only ones in his generation to have such control over the water element to negate almost all it's weaknesses and make it his ultimate weapon in battle. Most think it was a bloodline of sorts but that isn't true..." she said making all of them raise their eyebrows at the blonde Senju. They themselves had assumed the same thing.

"What do you mean Tsunade-dono?" asked Onoki as there were not a lot of things that he didn't know with his age and experience but this news intrigued him.

"You see the Senjus and Uzumakis were cousin clans with the Uzumaki clan being primarily very powerful water ninjutsu users. Their skills in sealing always overshadowed their talents for Water ninjutsu and kenjutsu. My Obaa-san Mito Uzumaki was the one who trained Tobirama Ojii-san personally during his younger days in many skills including helping him to perfect the mastery over water style to such a degree." she explained making them all quite surprised.

"So the boy is of a real royal heritage then to be a part of the main branch of the Uzumaki head family and the last of the Namikaze clan. Gaara-dono certainly struck gold with this one..." said Ay in slight jealousy making Gaara smile and nod. Tsunade just smiled sadly as she wanted to cry over what she had lost but she would be damned if she didn't retrieve herself and her relationship with her gaki no matter what it took she though confidently and kept her eyes on the blonde whose eyes were watching the clash between the genins like a hawk.

* * *

 **In the jounin lounge...**

* * *

Sasuke had his knuckles clenched in anger after he saw the blonde show his skills in front of the world like they were nothing. The jealousy in his hear reached new bounds as he started going through that those weren't even half the skills he knew. He had been holding back the whole time.

So what had he been doing over the past years in the village. The dobe had everything, a loving village, an excellent and beautiful as well as a proud kunoichi as his wife who was of royal status and high stature within her village. He was apparently the military commander of the Sand and he had seen the way he had ordered the ANBU around like they were nothing and the admiration all the shinobi held for him.

Why couldn't he have that? It was simple, the village was holding him back. He hadn't been able to learn anything extraordinary like the dobe of his team had. After getting rid of him he had assumed that the only competition in the village for his attention and training was now gone and he could reach new heights. But he was wrong to stay in the village for all those years. He needed the ks wielding to exact his revenge and have a girl like Temari to rebuild his clan.

Temari.

He glanced at the kunoichi who was looking so lovingly at the blonde and couldn't help but admire the glow she had on her face today. He wanted her more than anything then why couldn't he get it. He was an Uchiha, he would get everything he wanted like always he thought angrily and clenched his jaw and knuckles tightly.

* * *

 **Author's notes : There is the next chapter. Sorry for the delay, I promised for yesterday but I couldn't quite get it done after I was halfway through and was quite tired. So here it is, the fight between Ay and Naruto and a small demonstration of his skills in front of all the crowd. Well let's see what happens next and how the story goes with the new arcs now following up with a small filler chapter maybe the next time, and that's a maybe so don't know yet. So until next time my loving readers keep reading and reviewing Ja Ne.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Naruto : Desert Flower**

* * *

 **Sunagakure no sato**

* * *

 **Suna Stadium**

* * *

The Finals of the thirty sixth annual chunin exams had finally come to a halt and all was now silent in the seemingly joyful and excited crowd that once resided in the stadiums. Almost all the civilians and dignitaries had left, with just some of them making their way out under the strict guard of the ANBU placed all around the village.

The proctor of the exams finally turned his gaze up, his baby blue eyes half shadowed by his flailing hair coming onto his hair while his cloak now sat atop, slung onto his shoulder to show his completely ripped and lean muscles through his cut sleeves shirt.

Baby blues met teal greens when he saw Temari jump up onto the railing, still staring intently into his eyes. Neither blinked, seemingly lost in each others when she opened her arms leaned forward to fall down freely, her lips adorning a mischievous smile.

Only a blur of dust lay awake where the blonde boy once stood, the viridian blur catching his princess mid air before falling down gracefully on his feet. His princess scooped up in his arms bridal style who let out a content sigh and snuggled in his arms.

"One of these days you're going to hurt yourself like that hime." the blonde scolded her half heartedly, doing nothing but nuzzling his nose in her own to get a giggle out of her.

"Mm-hmm you'll catch me, I know it…" she said with a small yawn making him sigh and kiss her nose. She crunched up her nose, and he laughed. She hated those butterfly kisses near her nose but he loved that adorable face she made each time.

"You sleepy?" he asked her in his tender tone getting another small yawn and nod from her. She was dead tired, the harsh works off the past week were catching onto her, now that the duties placed upon her were seemingly over.

"NARUTO!" the blonde turned his head around to the Kage box where Gaara was staring at him with his usual stoic green eyes.

"CAN I HAVE A MOMENT?" he asked him making him look down at the half asleep wife of his and then back at him in a confused manner. He didn't want to, but Gaara wouldn't call him unless it must be necessary.

But his princess came first.

"GIVE ME FIVE MINUTES" he called back before he vanished in a flash. Gaara pursed his lips, his eye twitching dangerously hearing the Kage's snicker behind him.

"He has his priorities sorted out, ne?" asked Darui, making Gaara sigh and nod. He couldn't help but smile for his friend and brother-in-law.

* * *

 **Namikaze estates**

* * *

Naruto came to in front of the marker within his room, walking to the bed with soft footsteps. He placed the sleeping girl in his arms on the bed gently, who was now completely out like a light. His hands smoothly took off her sandals along with the senbon holding her hair in a bun and kept it aside so it wouldn't hurt her.

Instantly he saw her arms, sleepily searching for something and he smiled, placing a pillow that she clutched for dear life and nuzzled her face in it.

"Mm Naru…" she mumbled making him stifle his chuckles and kiss her head, his eyes looked at her adoringly. He brushed her head gently and placed a little peck on it.

"Not yet hime, but I'll be back soon 'kay?" he whispered not getting any answer from the asleep girl. He disappeared in a silent flash, taking one last longing glace at his sleeping wife before going back to some business that needed to be taken care of now.

* * *

 **Suna Stadium**

* * *

 **Kage Box**

* * *

"KYAAA…" Naruto heard a yelp and sweat dropped at the make up lad jounin on his butt, glaring at him heatedly.

"Will you stop doing that? I hate that jutsu…" he hissed angrily making Naruto raise a playful eyebrow. He crouched down on one knee and poked his nose, making the man's eye twitch dangerously.

"Kankuro, you're a jounin and have seen my flashes seemingly hundreds of times…" he told the man dryly making him snort but said nothing. It was true after all.

"Whatever, it is still annoying, all damn blondes are annoying…" he muttered making Naruto chuckle and nod at his childish pout. The man would never let anyone else have the last word, no matter how stupid he sounded himself. So he left it at that and looked up at the eyes of all the Kage's now completely fixated on him.

"Yo!" he said and got an immediate bonk on his head courtesy of Gaara. He rubbed his head only to feel a feminine arm drape around his shoulders and a pair of lips press on his head.

"It must have hurt you, let me see…" a soft seductive voice said making him look at the Mizukage looking at him innocently, but the hunger in those eyes wasn't lost to him.

"I am quite alright Mizukage-sama…" he said trying to get her off before she caught his hand in between her breasts.

"It's Mei, call me Mei…" she spoke in her same alluring voice making him pull his hand back hesitantly.

"Of course…" he said and turned his eyes around to look at the rest of them. But his eyes did hang onto a particular mop of blonde hair that was seemingly trying to hide herself behind everyone's shadows.

"Baa-chan?" he called out, the name slipping off his lips unconsciously. A moment later he was pulled in a bone crushing hug, his head now laying in between her large breasts. His arms flailed around, seemingly not getting any room to breathe in the air tight hug he was pulled into suddenly.

"Air…Breathe…" he rasped out, making her break her hug and cup his cheeks to look at that whiskered face she had missed so much. His eyes widened in shock, at seeing those honey orbs streaming with tears.

"I'm sorry Naruto, I'm so so sorry…I tried trust me I tried…but…" the seemingly unbreakable fire shadow's resolve crumbled down in front of him in a matter of seconds.

Tsunade felt guilt creep all over her, how powerless she was to help the boy she considered her son. She couldn't even look straight at him when he came, but the name he had called her with that only he could…

She had let her instincts take over, even if he hated her for everything, at least she had gotten a last hug…

Her thoughts trailed off when a pair of strong arms wrapped around her shoulders and pulled her in a warm embrace. For the first time in years she felt like she had a family again when he tucked her head under his chin after kissing it softly.

"Shh. It's alright, I don't blame you for any of it Baa-chan. I still love you like my mother…" he whispered, only audible to her making her tears double over and clutch his shirt like a lifeline. She looked up a moment later, wiping her eyes off with a warm smile and a soft sniffle. Her hands cupped his cheeks again in an adoring manner.

"You've grown so tall gaki…" she said making him chuckle and giggled herself. A moment later her eyes narrowed dangerously making him gulp, remembering how angry she would get when he did something stupid and always glared at him like this.

"You got married…" she said, poking his chest pointedly with her finger. He gulped and chuckled nervously, rubbing his neck. That tick had still not gone from him and it made her smile.

"I'll forgive you for not telling me, only if you give me grand kids soon enough…" she said firmly making him smile. She was still the same old stubborn hag alright. But his cheeks did turn a bit pink in embarrassment at her words.

"Of course, I give you my word." he said and she smiled, clicking off the necklace from her neck and putting it over his head again, patting the jewel for reassurance while looking him straight in the eyes.

"It still belongs to you, you won it fair and square remember?" she asked him, making him smile in nostalgia at remembering their bet and nodded.

"Of course." he said, accepting the gift making her smile whole heartedly. All her fears lay forgotten at his small acceptance of her necklace and she now just had a lot of scolding, doting and pestering left for later.

"Come live with me at my house for the rest of the days you're here Baa-chan, we'll catch up there…" he asked her, making her consider his proposal.

" _Ahh what the hell, I'm the Hokage. I can do whatever the hell I want…"_ she said to herself and nodded accepting his proposal happily. All repercussions or security arrangements to hell…

He turned to the others, getting to the Raikage who was still looking at him calculatingly, trying to decipher a seemingly large puzzle. He rose an eyebrow when Naruto stretched a hand for him to shake, he stood still with his arms crossed.

"You have some nerve trying to shake my hand…" he threatened him making all the others stiffen at his proclaim. He saw the blonde standing unflinchingly, as if not even bothered by his words. His eyes narrowed in before letting out a small smirk and shake his hand in a tight manly shake.

He liked men who wouldn't cower under his gaze, and the boy had the same aura as his father years ago. A man who loved his family and crept fears in his enemy's hearts.

He saw the Tsuchikage standing there with his ever present scowl, mirrored by the girl behind him. The large man though had a warm smile on his face.

"Tsuchikage-sama…" Naruto said politely in acknowledgment making the man's eyebrows to furrow in deep thought.

"Namikaze…" he said bitterly, as if the name was poison in itself. Naruto quite understood his venom laced voice and paid it no heed.

"Your priorities are sorted out straight unlike your father I see, the Sand headband looks better on you than the Leaf…" he commented, watching him closely to gauge a reaction out of him. But all he saw was a small smile and a nod, surprising him.

"I would agree with you on that Tsuchikage-sama, I hope we can move on from our past grudges. Scratching old wound would do us no good, let's look forward to a nice future…" he said extending a hand. Oonoki looked at the hand for a few seconds, as if hesitating on what to do before he begrudgingly accepted and shook it lightly.

"We'll see, but I tell you youngsters these days no respect for their elders…" he said getting laughs from everyone but the two standing behind Tsunade.

"Not going to shake a hand with me Naruto-san?" asked the seductive voice of the woman from before making him glance to the side. He hadn't even felt this nervous when he fought Sasori head on.

And that man had killed the Sandaime Kazekage for Kami's sake.

"Of course…" he said letting out a smile and shook her hand. Her thumb brushed his palm gently as if sending a small message through her amber green eyes.

"It's nice to meet you Naruto-san, _quite nice indeed…"_ she whispered out the last part when she pulled her hand back and smiled at him. All the men looked on jealously at Naruto who seemingly looked a little peeved out at the moment at her odd actions.

"Umm Naruto…" A male voice called out from behind Tsunade. He turned around, his eyes turning cold as soon as he saw the white haired man who had called him out.

"Jiraiya…" he said, the word in itself leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. The man winced visibly at his little venom laced voice and complete drop of respect unlike the others before him. All the other Kage's looked intrigued at their conversation, knowing how he was related to the blonde yet his resenting voice wasn't lost to any of them. The Toad sage wanted to say something more when Naruto cut him off.

"I suggest we all rest for today now that we have all been introduced. My wife has made sure that all your arrangements are suited to everyone's needs personally so I think you all would be pleased. We can talk this out tomorrow at a small dinner if that is fine with everyone…" he asked and got instant nods from the Five Shadows, all happy with his words and let all the events of the day sink in.

Naruto put a hand forward to Tsunade with a smile who instantly got a hint and put her own in his, steeping forward when her shoulder was clasped tightly.

"Tsunade, do you think it wise? You are going to…" said the Toad sage when his hand was slapped away roughly.

"I have already accepted Namikaze-san's proposal Jiraiya, and it would be quite rude if I broke my word now…" she said coldly, making him wince yet again the sudden new iciness in her voice, even harsher than before.

"But what about the security measures we set up…" he tried to make her see reason and avoid her going to his house but her eyes narrowed in on the man dangerously.

"Are you saying I would be unsafe in the residence of the man who seemingly looks after the security measures of the whole Hidden Sand village? That is some accusation to our seemingly allies…" she asked him dangerously and he pulled his hand back, pursing his lips.

She was dead set on going and nothing would change her mind now. That much he knew.

"Alright I'll notify everyone of your new place for residence, but I should come with you…" he said before he was cut off by Naruto.

"I apologize Jiraiya, but I have no more room in my house other than the one I offered your Hokage." he said coldly making the Toad sage look at his one time apprentice with hurt filled eyes before begrudgingly vanishing in a smoke less **Shunshin.**

The rest of the Kage's did the same with Gaara staying a while longer than the others to look at Naruto with eyes holding a hint of concern for him. The blonde smiled at his brother and waved his hand dismissively.

"It's alright Gaara no need to worry, I'm with family…" he said making the man nod. Tsunade's heart warmed up at hearing him refer to her as family and she wanted to crush him to death in her arms but held herself back. Gaara stood silently for a moment before nodding.

"Very well then, I'll see you tomorrow." he said and disappeared in a wisp of sand. Naruto did the same and flashed away straight to his home.

* * *

 **Namikaze estates**

* * *

Naruto flashed in front of the main gate of his house, purposefully to let her get used to it.

"This is your house?" Tsunade asked softly, making him nod. She looked at it affectionately, it was so much better than anything he ever lived at the run down apartment back in the Leaf. Naruto could see her wallowing in guilt, and took a hold of her hand to pull her in.

Tsunade saw the lush gardens in the house making her quite surprised at the greenery in a seemingly arid region. He even had a small koi fish pond to the side.

He walked her in, closing the door behind him. She put her sandals aside and followed him into the living room, where he motioned for her to the large and comfy couch. She sat and looked around in amazement, it was so luxurious…

Naruto rummaged through the shelves to look for something for her to drink.

"I'm sorry Baa-chan, I would have offered you some fine Sake, but my princess drank all our stock out a couple of days ago, _in one go at that…"_ he whispered to himself with a smile making her shake her head. She wasn't in any mood for Sake anyways.

"Naruto no need for formalities…" she said, feeling like a guest herself but he would have none of it. She watched the new plate of the half ate out cake with a hungry gaze, it looked so alluring. Naruto chuckled seeing her hunger and she smiled sheepishly like a child caught stealing a cookie jar.

Naruto cut a generous slice of the Black velvet cake he had baked a couple of nights ago for his princess and Tsunade took it happily, moaning in delight when she put a bite in her mouth.

"Bakers in Suna are great I see…" she said pulling out another bite and he smiled in amusement at her words.

"I baked it…" he said and laughed when she choked and patter her chest. He held out a glass of milk for her that she gulped down to make the choke go away. Well, he must have picked up a few skills along the way since she didn't ever remember him being this good at baking. Though he had always had a fine hand at cooking from what she remembered so it wasn't surprising.

"How's Shizune nee-chan?" he asked suddenly, making her look at her plate sadly.

"She misses you dearly Naruto, we both did until today that is…" she said making him sit by her side and put her head on his shoulder in a one armed hug.

"I missed you too, you were one of the only ones I missed…" he said, rubbing her arm in a soothing manner.

"How have you been Naruto?" she asked him with all the curiosity of the world making him fall silent for a moment, pondering on how to answer such a twisted question in a seemingly simple manner.

"Happier than ever before Baa-chan…" he said making her smile a happy sad smile. "…I have a girl that loves me, her brothers, that are brothers in all but blood to me. People her respect me and look at me as one of their own after years of seeing me around them. The shinobi too respect me, not for my position or my status. But for who I am. It was what I had wanted since I was but a child, acceptance…" he said making her nod shamefully.

He had gotten the things he had longed for in a new village instead his home born village had scorned and spitted on him day after day. And he looked so happy too, it made her quite happy herself.

"I'm glad." she said putting her hand on his lap and squeezing it for reassurance. The cake and the rest of the world all but lay forgotten, as they started exchanging their tales of what had been going on with the other in their lives straight through the night.

* * *

 **Next Morning**

* * *

Temari walked downstairs, her hair done up in a pony tail after her shower. She was clad in her furry pyjamas and Naruto's over-sized black T-shirt and currently was quite annoyed right now.

Her 'husband' had apparently stayed the night out somewhere after putting her to bed. She was going to have a stern talking to when he came home…

Her rant trailed off at seeing the sight in front of her. Naruto and Tsunade were there on the couch, with Naruto's arm still safely around her shoulders and she had her face tucked on his shoulder. They had fallen asleep mid way through their 'catching' up exercise and currently Temari found it completely adorable.

The two looked like a lost mother-son duo meeting after years. Which could be called true in this case as cheesy as it sounded to anyone else. She tip toed her way towards the kitchen to prepare herself some coffee and didn't have the heart to wake the two up.

She was still surprised that Tsunade had come to their house, but she was fine with it after all she was one of the only ones she found pleasant from the Leaf these days.

Both Naruto and Tsunade's noses twitched in unison, making it quite comical to see when their eyes flickered open to see two mugs of steaming coffee and slices of meat pie's lying in front of them.

Naruto smiled seeing his princess sitting on the armchair with her own mug on her lips with closed eyes. Tsunade couldn't help but smile when she saw the two look at each other lovingly. She was glad he had found such a lovely girl for himself who had the heart to stand up to the world if it came down to it. They ate in silence, quite comfortable in fact and Tsunade didn't remember a time in all the past years in the Leaf the she had felt so much at…

Home.

It made her heart sore that she had finally fond him and her fears for his whereabouts now lay down to rest. She now knew most of what had happened after their talks last night but there were still some things he had to know.

"Naruto…" she said in her serious Hokage voice making him turn his eyes to her in focus and place the mug down on the table.

"The Leaf now knows you're alive and all your truths have now been revealed to the world too." she said and he nodded, not seeing her point.

"They would want you back…" she said firmly, already knowing how those leeches back in the council worked after all these years of them sucking the village dry of it's life. She saw disbelief stretched across their faces, Naruto for one didn't have any words at her proclamation. But Temari was as blunt as always.

"You seriously think after all they've done to my Naru, he'll even consider seeing the Leaf's walls let alone return? No offense…" she asked her incredulously and Tsunade shook her head, not shocked at all. Instead already expecting this.

"None taken. But I know how their minds work, now that they know you're alive, they would want you for what you now hold…" she said making realization dawn over his face. Temari was still confused, what more could they want from him?

Naruto had forgotten to tell her about all that his parents had left for him, seemingly having no monetary problems here in Suna to even think back to it.

"My parent's fortunes…" he said, rubbing his forehead tiredly seeing her point.

"What fortunes Naruto?" Temari asked, oblivious to the whole affair. Naruto couldn't help but think how stupid he was to forget a thing like this, but he had never kept money in his mind ever since he was a child anyways. Tsunade decided to clear up her obliviousness.

"His mother Kushina Uzumaki, was the heiress to the Whirlpool Village and the Uzumaki clan…" she explained and Temari nodded, already knowing that much. "…so the entire sealed Island of the Land of Eddies and Whirlpools now belongs to Naruto along with all the fortunes left behind by the Uzumaki clan before it's destruction. It all lays sealed in the ruins of Uzushiogakure no sato, untouchable to anyone but of the blood of the royal family of the village whose last descendant is…" she trailed off, letting the girl fill in the blanks.

"Naruto…" she whispered looking at his apologetic face and looked at him with eyes that promised pain later on for not telling her all this. Tsunade enjoyed seeing his plight but she was far from finished.

"And Minato's fortunes too…" she said, this time surprise came from Naruto. He wasn't aware of this.

"What fortunes?" he asked obliviously making her smile and nod, already knowing off this.

"Minato was a great man with a seemingly much too sharp mind, a really sharp one when it came to businesses and ownership." she explained making him shocked.

"I know you don't know of this Naruto, but the Sandaime cleared up all traces that could be traced back to the Namikaze name as soon as he died and spread it all up into various accounts in the Fire Daimyo's personal vaults. All of them lay sealed there, untouched for years and collecting interests and all the rents of the lands he owned in his lifetime and left behind…" she explained, remembering finding the Sandaime's will in the Hokage vault with instructions to tell Naruto of this when he was of the age of 18 or became a jounin, whichever came first so that he may inherit it when the time came.

Naruto's face showed his shock making Tsunade smile sadly.

"Sarutobi-sensei loved you a lot Naruto. But his age finally caught up to him in his later years, he did all that he could for you but the council had wormed it's way into each of his department's sneakily and there was only so much he could do all alone all the while managing the after shocks of the Kyuubi attack and the crippled forces he had to deal with while maintaining all the secrets around himself. But in the end he did make sure to stash it all away under lock and key, so that no one but it's rightful owner can lay a finger on even a single penny apart from it's heir." she said making him smile and nod. He remembered all that the old man had done for him, from forcing the orphanage to take care of him by force and under his own personal eyes before all the hate became too much for him and he had begged the man to stay alone.

"How much is it?" Temari asked worriedly to gauge the political issues that would ensue now that everything was out and about. Tsunade herself rubbed her forehead of the oncoming migraine.

"No one knows the exact amounts or what he owned apart from the Sandaime, Yondaime and the Daimyo guarding it all himself. But I do know that the lands holding the main shopping districts in Konoha along with half it's resident lands pay their rents for the lands to accounts that lead to the Fire Capital…" Tsunade trailed off tiredly, making Temari turn shell shocked.

"B-But that means…" she whispered in shock realizing what he owned now.

"Yes Naruto, now own half the resident land in the village along with it's shopping nerve centers. The money that Minato made as a shinobi and a Hokage along with the rents to the lands and their interests combined give him enough power to rumble up the Fire capital quite a bit and effectively cripple Konoha's entire financial structure should he want to…" she said blankly, she had half a mind to tell him to do it and be done with it. But she knew he wouldn't, it would make him no different from those bastards back in the village.

Both women's eyes turned to the blonde boy who had fallen completely silent after hearing the things he had just now heard. But one thing lay on his mind above all else.

"So I would have to come back to the village to settle this all I presume?" he asked Tsunade and the venom in his voice wasn't lost to Tsunade who nodded sadly.

"Yes, the Fire Daimyo himself would come to meet the heir to the most powerful family in the village personally. An invitation from him isn't one to be ignored as much as you would think otherwise Naruto…" she answered him making him nod. He wrapped his arms around his wife who came straight onto his lap in a hug seeing him so trouble and pecked his lips softly.

"It'll be alight, I'll be with you 'kay?" she asked him softly making him smile and node with a sigh. No one saw the small puff of smoke behind them in the hallways of his home.

* * *

 **In a simple hotel room…**

* * *

Sasuke lay on his bed, seemingly in deep thought at what he had learned. The hatred within his heart touched new heights, he promised himself he would take all that the blonde now held dear away from him by force.

Especially his wife, but for that he needed a person who would help hi achieve his goals and give him the needed power to take out the two people he wanted to remove in his life.

His hands brushed the nip of his neck and he let out a bloodthirsty smirk.

"Soon Naruto, I'll have Temari and all that you hold here in my palms and I will have achieved truly what I have desired for all these years." he whispered to seemingly nobody in his room.

* * *

 _ **Author's notes : There is the next one. Sorry for the length but I couldn't stretch this more any further than this, this time. And for the delay too I am sorry, the document was deleted from my laptop after it crashed so I had to rewrite this thing from the ground up. I hope it doesn't hold many grammatical errors since I tried to rectify as many as possible and next time the council get the gist of what went about in Suna, while Naruto would confront everyone from the Leaf and the talks between the Kage's. I won't be stretching this arc quite too long like other authors so in a couple of chapters or three at max I'll try and wrap it up before we move onto a new one lest the story gets stale that I won't let happen. And expect a long chapter along with a lemon in the next as has been hinted in the past few ones. So until next time Narutoxsharingaxenthusiast signing out, keep reading and reviewing Ja Ne ;)**_

* * *

 _ **PS : I never abandon my stories easily for the record as you can see, and I try as much as I can to fulfill my reader's expectations. So I'll try and update this quickly since it is still one of my best stories with all the love it has garnered. I love you and thank you for the reviews, they are the things that keep an author motivated through a writer's block like you all did for me. So I thank you guys.**_

* * *

 _ **PPS : This is not and neither will become a harem so don't doubt that from Mei's character personalisation. She will be the same seductive and dangerous kunoichi I love but nothing more in this story. Seriously if I had the time she would be the one I would enjoy writing the most about with her fiery temper and seductive side. Plus she is sexy as hell in my opinion hehe. Oh well…**_


	19. Chapter 19

**Naruto : Desert Flower**

* * *

 **Sunagakure no Sato**

* * *

 **Namikaze Households**

* * *

The pale fingers of dawn peered in from the window, bathing the entire room in it's illuminating radiance. There was no ringing of alarm this morning, nor had there been any need of one. Both the house's residents had prior engagements to tend to, ones that had been made weeks beforehand for that matter. Feeling the soft brush of lips on his neck, Naruto smiled, lightly stroking his slumbering wife's lovely hair.

"Last night was amazing."

Looking down, surprised to see her awake so early, loving azure eyes stared into sleepy teals for a moment too long, taking his time to appreciate the beauty he had been adrift from for the past few weeks. Naruto flicked a lock of hair tickling her eyelash, "It was, wasn't it…?" he murmured softly. Temari said nothing in reply, opting to smile dreamily and snuggle her face on his chest instead. She was already quite aware that the two of them had a rather lively 'bedroom' life, but the events of last night had shattered the boundaries of it's realms quite literally.

"How many times was it, six right…?" her voice was low, she seemed almost shy to ask it out loud. Smiling, Naruto placed a loving peck on top of her head.

"Seven."

Her finger traced his chest line before rotating in concentric circles, teeth gnawing away nervously at her lip, "Do you think, you know…?" she blushed, unable to say or even look at him anymore from sheer embarrassment . Words didn't need to be spoken for Naruto to catch her drift, he smiled, "I think so, yes. But we'll keep trying just to be sure." he whispered knavishly. She giggled, bonking his chest playfully when she realized just what it was he was insinuating, "Pervert." she mumbled.

Naruto rose an amused eyebrow hearing her soft mumble, "I am serious, you know."

His palm cupped her cheek, making her face up to him for a deep kiss. She broke it off before things got heated up, frowning with a gasp, "I'm still sore." she pouted.

He flipped her over, earning a squeal of delight from his princess before his head mysteriously vanished into the blanket. "I can help you with that." he said. Her face ranged from being confused, to one of horrified realization a second too late. He had already found his spot by then;

She moaned loudly, "Ah!"

Throwing her face aside, cheeks flushed, Temari grabbed the sheets tightly within her fists as her resolve to keep him off of her kept crumbling into oblivion. Her arms reached into her blanket, cradling his head between her legs.

"More…!"

Needless to say, breakfast was not served to the couple that morning.

* * *

Tsunade walked up to the door after hearing a knock. It honestly felt quite weird to receive a guest for a place she was staying as a guest herself. But it made her happy too, a small part of her wished she could do this everyday - wake up in the morning without a hangover, knowing there was a family waiting for her in the house.

It made her feel cherished.

Opening the door, she was a bit startled seeing exactly who it was, "Kazekage-dono." she greeted, nodding politely. Her greeting was returned with a polite nod of his own, "Hokage-dono." he stated monotonously.

"May I?"

The buxom blonde Kage blushed and moved aside with a start, "Of course, where are my manners."

Closing the door behind her, she followed Gaara to the living room all the while noting his little actions. He was tending to photo frames and flower vases as he trudged, as if he had done this chore a thousand times. It made her take note of how familiar he seemed to this estate, a pang of envy sliced her heart at that, "Naruto and Temari…" she drawled, wondering just how it was she would make him excuse the couple for not being present to receive them.

Her cheeks flamed a dark tinge of pink, remembering quite vividly the moans that had reverberated in her room - a floor down from the master bedroom - and what reason there must have been for such voices.

"I know."

"Oh."

Her flush increased twofold for what she was about to ask, "Is this, you know, uh, a common occurrence…?"

Gaara rose an eyebrow, bemused, and started gathering the kettle to make some coffee. He nodded, "Yes. Those two go at it like rabbits once a vacation pops up every now and then. I made the mistake of staying the night once, it was winter as I recall, and I'd rather not be scarred any more than my life has already done for me."

By the time he had finished his blunt reminiscence of memories, Tsunade was flushing like a volcano. It seemed the man did have rather keen words for such things, "Uh, right." she coughed uncomfortably.

A thick tension settled between the two, while Gaara focused on preparing his morning beverage, Tsunade sat there with absolutely no idea what to say. Relations between her and him were scarcely political at best, hostile at worst. She'd rather prefer it if it wasn't the latter, "You want some…?" he asked.

Tsunade forced out a strained smile, "Yes." he nodded without gazing back, going back to adding some freshly ground beans in the pot. "You come here often?" she queried curiously, a small attempt at initiating a conversation.

He nodded, "Yes, they have rather nice coffee."

Tsunade sweat dropped, "Yeah, right." she muttered, a bit peeved at his unusually curt answers. He didn't seem particularly invested in the conversation, neither was she willing to push her boundaries with their already strained relationship.

Gaara pulled off the kettle and came in the living room with two costly looking black emblazoned cups, filling them both gracefully before seating himself in front of her. He settled into the couch, crossing a leg over his thigh while bringing his cup to his lips for a sip - those intimidating eyes of his boring holes in her face weren't lost to the usually chirpy Senju.

She settled back herself, mirroring his seating style but closed her eyes shut in order to avoid his subtle glare. Sipping a little of the served beverage herself, she moaned in delight, "This is good coffee!"

"Hokage-dono."

His cold voice made her stop, and she eyed him warily. Both settled down their steaming mugs in unison, the situation now turning serious, "I do not particularly like your stay here at my sister's house - for reasons I'd rather not say."

She said nothing, inwardly relieved for his rather blunt and frigid attitude to any human being in general, as opposed to his sister's rather lively yet undecipherable diplomatic charm. Both were poles apart in personalities, at least to her, "But..." he stopped for a moment while his eyes flickered in uncertainty, as if pondering over to search for the right words, "...since Naruto sees you as a mother of sorts, his trust is all I need. I welcome you here - not as the Hokage -but as Naruto's endeared guest."

Tsunade rested her elbow on the armrest, nestling her cheek in her palm with a tender smile. "You are rather mature in choosing words, especially given your age I must say Kazekage-dono." she complimented him which the red haired boy took with a grain of salt. It was true though, indirectly pointing to her that she was welcome in his village only due to her proximity with his friend and not as the Hokage meant that he would rather have not invited the Leaf at all, than have their large numbers run around his village while his men were kept busy keeping eyes on them.

"Did you wish to converse with me on something particular?"

"I did."

She nodded and once more pulled the cup to her lips, "What will the Leaf do, now that Naruto's existence has been revealed to the world?"

Humming, Tsunade rested the cup on her table, contently crossing her fingers to hide her lips, "Whatever I say next, I say as an ambassador to the Leaf. I want to make this point crystal clear before saying anything, no offense."

"None taken."

"Very well then." sighing, Tsunade pondered over her situation for a moment before nodding, "You did not just reveal his existence yesterday, rather you revealed his heritage to the world. The names Namikaze and Uzumaki in general hold some weight in the eyes of the world, especially the ones who do know their histories rather well." she surmised, earning a slight frown from him.

"I do not understand."

Laughing shamelessly, she shook her head. "I would be surprised if you did." she chortled, his frown deepened into a full blown scowl. "The Uzumaki's were wiped off by the joint efforts of Kirigakure, Kumogakure, and Iwagakure. Namikaze Minato wiped off legions of Iwa and Kumo's forces in the Third Great Ninja War, now most might not be aware of this for various reasons, but the Tsuchikage did not surrender to the Sandaime Hokage to end the War."

Her recital took a pause with a sharp intake of breath, Gaara's face of confusion was all she needed to know that he wasn't that well versed in history as a veteran might have been. "Ryōtenbin no Ōnoki laid his arms down to Minato Namikaze, not the present Hokage. When he saw a thousand of his best ninja's corpses lying in front of his eyes for the second time, Iwagakure had never faced such humiliation before then and with the Fourth's intimely demise, they thought it would never come to pass again. My predecessor was rather non indulgent when it came to Naruto's heritage being known for reasons you can see, even I wasn't aware of their identities for sure before yesterday if that says something to you." she recited her history lesson, one that Gaara absorbed in with the thirst of a sponge.

These events were never documented for him to read on, these were the things only veterans who were present to witness these sights must have known. Even in such deep musings Gaara had to wonder, how much did Naruto know?

Knowing him, possibly a lot.

"I swear he does these things to annoy me." his mutter befuddled Tsunade to no ends but he dismissed it with a subtle wave of his hand.

"What does this have to do with the present?"

She smiled at his naivety, "With his father's name, his mother's royal blood and the amount of influence his presence alone would hold in the Leaf - there is not a chance in hell that our council won't try to get their claws on him, one way or the other."

Gaara knitted his eyebrows in annoyance, "He was banished from the Leaf, and placed for execution on first sight. How could they demand his return?"

"That is where you are wrong, Gaara."

Gaara looked at her, eyes confused. "Whatever do you mean?"

"He was exiled, not banished. The Leaf regarded him as a threat that was too vulnerable if left alone back then. But seeing how the Fourth's seal still holds strong…"

Eyes widening, Gaara clenched his knuckles tight, "He will no longer be perceived a threat, thereby enabling the Leaf village call for his return." he finished contritely, earning a satisfied nod from Tsunade.

This was the primary reason he hated this accursed position with a passion, well that and paperwork, but this certainly came first. Political maneuvers, backstabbing bastards, mute betrayals - he would rather crush enemies into oblivion with his trusty sand than duck his head into these acids any day, all week long.

"I swear, that idiot is more trouble than he is worth."

Tsunade's melodic laughs hadn't annoyed anyone so much until that point in time.

* * *

"What the hell happened to you?!"

"Oh, for the last time!"

"Where did that old stubborn buffoon I've know for so long hide himself? How could you act so mellow in front of that bastard?!"

"Kurotsuchi, calm down." huffing, the kunoichi backed off with a fierce scowl. Her grandfather, the Tsuchikage, pinched his nose in exasperation.

Inhaling a sharp breath, "I was not acting mellow for anyone, that was just how the situation demanded me to act. This is why I keep shouting that you are nowhere near ready to be a jonin yet, young lady!" Ōnoki yelled, frustrated.

Pink eyes rolled back, bewildered, "Then please do enlighten me as to what you were doing being so touchy-feely with that bastard Namikaze?! Have you forgotten -" stepping forth, Ōnoki did the last thing the residents of his room had ever dreamed of.

 _ **SLAP!**_

She held her stinging cheek in shock, recoiling from the pure fury in his eyes, "I forget nothing!" he hissed, catching her shoulders in such a tight grip that it forced out an involuntary wince from the girl. Her rosy orbs turned misty, not from the pain itself but from the deep rage that emanated deep within her own heart. Ōnoki's eyes softened for a moment, he hovered up in the air to make an eye-to-eye level conversation with her.

"Kurotsuchi, look at me."

She didn't, instead choosing to look away with a bitten lip. He forced her gaze to him with his hand, wiping her unshed tears with his thumbs. Seeing her like this up close, it allowed him to bask his heart in fond nostalgia, "You are still so charismatic, just like your mother." he whispered remorsefully.

His comment made her will waver ever so slightly, but she dared not cry. It was unbecoming for a kunoichi in her eyes, "Naruto Namikaze is not a Leaf shinobi, you must remember that."

She looked at him with such hatred, Kitsuchi had half a mind to restrain her lest she lashed out at him. A sharp look from his father stopped him dead in his tracks, he stepped back with a lowered head in submission. Looking at her again, Ōnoki squeezed her cheeks tenderly, "What happened back then was done by Minato Namikaze, not by his son."

"But-"

"But nothing!" Ōnoki cut her off, miffed, "Even then, in midst of his mass slaughter, he was acting as any shinobi loyal to their village should have. As much as I loathe the very existence of that man…" he spat venomously, flashes of buried memories coming forth like raging tides in his mind, "….I respect him for his loyalty too."

Pink eyes went wide, disbelief etched all over face. Seeing her sudden disarray, Ōnoki smiled, "He gave up his life on the off chance that his village might be spared from a certain calamity, he sacrificed the lives of his whole family that night. His son was made a living vessel for the lord of demons, the same entity his village loathed like you loath him." his calm explanation made her lips curl thin.

Remembering how they treated their own jinchuriki, she couldn't deny the steel required to achieve such feet, "But he did all that for the Leaf, take that headband away from him and there would never have been a Yellow Flash. Your grudge shouldn't be with Namikaze, it should stay with the Leaf." seeing her slumping shoulders, Ōnoki knew she was conceding to the truth.

Just like she should.

A Kage never rallied on useless emotions, welfare of his village and shinobi always came first and foremost. She had to learn this if she ever wanted to inherit his seat in the coming future, as he had hoped she would, "An alliance with the man who has inherited that infamous potential will double our military might, may even increase it exponentially. You must look at everything rationally child, there is everything to gain here and nothing to lose."

It was rare for Kitsuchi to see his father act so gentle but he figured it was what made these little moments even more endearing. But to actually see such drastic effect on his hotheaded daughter, was something else of itself. Sighing, it seemed as if Ōnoki had sapped out all energy from his granddaughter, "Fine." she muttered, defeated. Seeing her acting in such stark contrast to her under laying emotions;

Ōnoki had never been so proud.

* * *

Envisioning things was something humans did by birth, even so, Sakura had never envisioned a hidden village smack bang in the middle of a desert to be so lively. Walking through the main shopping districts, every person was covered head to toe in linen clothes so as to shade themselves from the scorching heat.

The business was on full throttle, prices were sky high due to the heavy number of foreign guests exchanging currencies with them. The stands were, much to her surprise, filled with many items she hadn't thought feasible in such an arid terrain - fruits, freshly cut vegetables, cold drinks, restaurants of all shapes and sizes, you name it and it was here.

She had been rather flabbergasted to see the last person on earth gracing her doorstep, trying to wake her up for an early morning walk, "What's the matter with you, Kakashi-sensei?"

Eye smiling, he ruffled his kunoichi's hair playfully. She slapped his hand away and began working on fixing it up once again, "The morning seems rather peppy for a walk, won't you agree?"

Nodding, Sakura had to concede with the scarecrow on the point. Though it still didn't quite answer her question, "But why-"

Feeling a small nudge on her feet, Sakura looked down to see a ball bouncing near her sandals. Sure enough, a moment later numerous kids came running out of a corner to retrieve said object. The kunoichi smiled and tossed the ball up in her arms with a flick of her toes, "Here you go!" she handed it out to them.

The rather small flock of children grinned, nearly taking it from her when a voice called from beside them, "What are you doing here, Haruka?!"

Looking aside, both Leaf ninjas saw a decently aged man come and greet a little girl in the middle of all children, "I'm playing!"

Her chipper tone actually made smiles break out all around the streets, Kakashi could see that they were rather caring when it came to children her age. Though, his slant eyebrow raised when he saw the icy glares being leveled at them both, "Let's go Haruka." the man caught her arm and lead her away, the girl looked back with a melancholy gaze.

"But my ball!" she cried. It made the man halt his steps for a moment, only for him to eye the ball in a stunned Sakura's hand as if it had turned into garbage merely from her touch alone right before he twisted his head back to the little girl with a warm smile.

"Don't worry, I'll buy you a new one. That one is _dirty_ now." his comment shook Sakura to the core. His implication wasn't lost to her in the slightest, she had never been on the receiving end of such a venomous comment before, every adult back home usually adored her due to her parent's heavy respect and influence.

As soon as the kids had left, Kakashi looked around them in concern. It seemed as if someone had pulled an imaginary trigger of sorts, where all the chirpy looking people had morphed and were now staring down at them in utter disdain.

Nothing was physical or even verbal, though their disgusted side glances weren't lost to either of the two. "Kakashi-sensei…" she whispered.

Nodding, "Yeah." Kakashi affirmed.

Trudging past the hostile streets, it wasn't long before incoherent whispers became audible statements right behind their backs.

"~Scum…"

"~Trash…"

"~Bitch…"

"~Freak…"

Tears stung her emerald eyes, Sakura turned around with a start to see everyone tending to their businesses as if nothing was wrong. Thinking it was only her latent paranoia screaming for no reason other than a subtle lack of sleep, she looked aside to see her teacher too looking back with a peculiar glint in his eyes. "Hmm, strange…" the jonin murmured, rubbing his chin pensively.

Somehow, Kakashi felt all this to be oddly nostalgic.

* * *

"My Lady, I must protest against this decision. You cannot go in without protection-"

The rest of the words were tuned out from her mind, only a few words in between started jumbling up in the vacancies of her mind.

" _Lady, cannot go in, without protection…"_

Smiling sweetly, "Ao…" she chimed angelically.

"Yes, My Lady-"

"Shut up, or I'll kill you."

"H-Hai…"

Chojuro cleverly decided to stay back lest the shy swordsman be melted into oblivion. He looked at his quivering senior with a pitying look, even though he never meant it, somehow the man had a knack for aggravating one of the most dangerous females in the Elemental Nations without ever attempting to do so.

Seeing her walking into the chambers with her usual lavishness, the gruff looking man by her side grunted in utter annoyance, "What's the meaning of this?"

His loud voice had absolutely no effect on the masked men guarding the door, they shook their heads dutifully.

"No guards are allowed inside, only the Kage's have been permitted to enter."

Ay growled, the vein on his forehead almost on the verge of popping and spewing off blood. "Blasphemy, you do not trust me!" he yelled, absolutely livid at their guts.

Still, the guards stood stone still, "Do you not trust the Sand…?"

The tension in the hallways was impalpable, someone could literally prick the thick atmosphere with a pin. That is, if anyone had the guts to actually go through with it. And even Ay had to admit, these Sand shinobi truly were baked and toughened in scorching heats to stand in front of him without even flinching an inch.

"Do you not trust Lord Namikaze…?"

That did it, Ay slammed his lightning covered fist right by the masked man's face and buried it in the wall behind him. The man still didn't budge an inch, much to his hidden ire, and continued staring on impassively through his mask.

Grunting, Ay relented, "Cee, Darui, stay here…"

"HAI…!"

Ay's shadow loomed ominously over the two ANBU, "You had better wish that master of yours a prayer for this. Had he not have earned my respect back there, your heads would be mush by now for such insubordination…!"

His growl was followed by an ominous bang of the door, marking it's cracked closing. Scooting closer, Chojuro stepped near the slack jawed senior of his as subtly as it was humanly possible, "Those Sand ANBU sure are tough to stand up to the Raikage, ne?! Maybe this alliance just might be possible, won't you say Ao-san." Ao nodded dumbly, having nothing else he could add to his junior's words;

Not even a little comparison to his fond olden days.

* * *

Jiraiya sat, eyeing the empty saucer in front of his eyes lifelessly. He dipped a finger on it's rim, circling it on the saucer like a top with a vacant smile marring his face.

"I want a word with you."

Glancing back, Jiraiya rose an inquisitive eyebrow, "Really…?" he inquired.

"Yes."

Shrugging, Jiraiya went back to the task of refilling his saucer from one of the five nearly empty bottles of liquor clattering his table disturbingly.

"You taught the Fourth, correct…?"

"Yeah."

The man by his side smiled wickedly, almost as if he had found his golden treasure without even searching for it, "So, you know all of his techniques too…?"

"Yeah, all except one."

His smile slipped a bit, clearly not expecting this development. "Which one…?"

Jiraiya chuckled, no laughed, as if he wasn't even sane anymore, "His most powerful one, the one he promised to leave only for his son."

"His son." the venom in his voice wasn't lost to Jiraiya. Even though, he couldn't care less if anyone lived or died anymore he had to take note of this. Even though he knew that;

He was finished.

Standing up, he inconsiderately threw some rolls of notes on the table and staggered his way out. Halting his steps for a moment, he glanced back with a knowing smile gracing his lips, "You are no match for him."

His hands tightened on the edge of the table, knuckles whitening and causing the timber in their grip to shake and crack. A wash of hatred flashed all over his face while his eyes bled crimson, three deadly tomoes circling madly in his eyes.

Sasuke Uchiha would have everything, no matter what.

* * *

 _ **Author's notes : Pulled an all-nighter for this one. For all that god is worth, I for the life of me, couldn't finish that almost completed draft from before since I was away from this story for so long. I am coming to grips again with this chapter, so do forgive me and point out any flaws you might have come across though I took extra precautions by re-reading my own fic again.**_

 _ **This one, as you might have guessed, was a completely new take on that pre-written chapter. If you may have noticed some changes in my writing style, it is probably what I have acquired through all this time with my other stories.**_

 _ **I had promised a lemon on this chapter, but I decided against it. Instead, I gave a subtle hint at one and left it at that. No need to delay the plot and readers any more. If you all want, I may add it in this one afterwards, but the story in itself must go on.**_

 _ **Now this is a shout out to all my readers, I wasn't quite aware of my stats, but 4k+ followers truly did baffle me. Thanks for staying with me since I do consider all of you my family. Many have stuck with me when I used to post shitty 2k words chapters, and to those goes my heartfelt thanks.**_

 _ **I'll try and update as frequently as I could, but I have been a bit busy as of late, still I'll try my best. Humble apologies for the wait, hope this chapter was up to expectations since I loved writing this particular one. Please do go through the prologue once more since it was redone for those who haven't done so already.**_

 _ **Anyways, I take my bow. You know the drill, read and review. My love to all…**_ _ **!**_

 _ **NSE signing out.**_

 _ **Ja Ne ;)**_


	20. Chapter 20

**Naruto : Desert Flower**

* * *

The whole floor gyrated with the subtle thumps of music being played by the side. It was, after all, the last get together for all the guests conjured up in the Sand village before they traveled back home. The rush of this year's annual chunin exams had all but died down and everyone honored with the pleasure of being invited to this party was more or less content with savoring these last few moments of luxurious cordial reception before they returned to their meager lives back home.

"You don't look too comfortable, if you don't mind me asking."

"...I'm comfortable."

"Is it the food, perhaps, not to your liking?"

"...No, it's nice."

Naruto sighed, for what seemed like the umpteenth time this evening. It was a given fact that since he was playing host during this gathering, he himself was accountable for making sure each of his guests were comfortable and properly taken care of. But this wasn't how he'd expected to play host, "Listen, you don't have to put up a front with me just for the sake of your grandfather. I won't rat you out, I promise."

His reassurance did seem to have an impact, shoulders slumping, Kurotsuchi heaved a sigh of relief. Flicking a drink from the waiter tumbling around, Naruto offered it to her courteously. Kurotsuchi, apparently not one for formalities when her host himself seemed to have no qualms with her, chugged it down in one gulp.

"I don't really like you all that much,"

Her honest confession made Naruto throat out a warm chuckle, "Yeah, I figured it out a while back you know." his comment earned him a sharp slap to the arm, courtesy of one flustered looking kunoichi.

"Why have you been hanging around me all evening then?"

His blunt question made her flinch, her eyes subtly darted to her back, too subtle for anyone but the keenest of eyes to have noticed. Naruto, did in fact notice it, and glanced back to see her grandfather's feverish eyes trained on her back in the midst of his own conversations, "He put you up to this?" she didn't so much as twitch, too afraid to answer honestly and get caught admitting the truth to a foreign diplomat.

Naruto had indeed been wondering why this girl, one who feverishly hated his guts had been limping by his arm all evening when she could have had better places to be; better people to associate with. Pondering over a solution, Naruto's caught the barest of visages in the corner of his eyes and smiled having come up with a suitable plan to ease up the poor girl's nerves. Offering her a hand, "May I have the pleasure to a dance?"

Looking as if struck by acid, "Never!" Kurotsuchi bit right back.

Maybe he should have offered her ramen instead.

Eyes twinkling with mischief, "Well, I'm glad you feel so pleasantly for me, I'm sure your grandfather will be too once he gets to know how pleasant you are to me." the way her pink eyes narrowed ferociously almost made her look, dare he say, cute. Kurotsuchi instantly looped an arm around his and tugged him along the crowd, straight to the dance floor, "You're the worst." she faux coughed out of everyone's earshot.

"I try, princess."

Reaching the middle of the floor, Naruto settled his palm on the small of her back and smiled when she coiled her arms around his neck. Linking their fingers together, both started moving to the quiet, harmonic beats of the music. Kurotsuchi, being ever the rival, pushed her toe forward and scowled accusingly when he pulled back his own toe from being crushed beneath her heels. Their little battle of feet went on for a minute or so before the girl finally conceded her defeat and let her head be laid down by his hand, her cheek nestled on his shoulder to compensate for the slow music the orchestra had just tuned to now.

"You're an okay-okay dancer."

Knowing this was the furthest extent of a compliment he'd be getting from her tonight, Naruto took it with a smile, "What can I say, I had an awesome teacher." Kurotsuchi laughed lightly, finally feeling relaxed.

"Thank you."

She hadn't expected him to go so far just to make her feel at home. When her grandfather had forced her to make friends with Naruto, she'd feared the worst. There was nothing more she hated than an enemy country's ninja, slap on the name Namikaze to the back and you had a winning combo that was hard to beat in her list of hate.

But he had held her by his arm throughout the evening, taking every curt and cold comment she threw at him with a grain of salt. To think he'd go so far as to force her into a lovely dance just to make her feel comfortable was beyond what she'd expected from him in the wildest of her dream; not like she was dreaming of him or anything dang it!

Why the hell was his chest so plushy for crying out loud?!

Just as the music started annotating the last of it's notes, Naruto took her hand and spun the girl around, earning a squeal of delight from the stone-faced kunoichi before he pulled her back closer to him and lifted up her thigh in one swift movement. Finishing their dance by leaning her back while he pushed his weight on her, his fingers teasingly traced her thigh through the slit in her gown and smiled seeing her flushed scowl.

"Told you, I've got an awesome teacher."

Before she could retort with some sort of sissy reply, a round of applause broke the duo's reverie; only now did they notice that everyone's sole focus of attention was on just the two of them. Kurotsuchi made a show of fixing her gown and gave a bow, Naruto followed suit and both got down from the floor, looking very much worse and under the weather for the wear, "You're the worst!"

"Oh, hush. You enjoyed that dance just as much as I did."

"That's not the point!" she hissed, "We're not supposed to…"

Naruto cut her off, "We're not supposed to what?"

Sighing, "You know, act so kind and friendly…" she muttered.

Naruto rose an eyebrow and crossed his arms, unimpressed, "Why the hell not?!" he asked.

"You were born in the Leaf, Naruto." she explained,"…now you live in the Sand and I'm from the Hidden Stone that despises the both of 'em…"

Cutting her tirade midway, "It's nothing to be ashamed of," Naruto said, stopping beside her with an air of confidence. "Don't just keep thinking back to where the person was born, no one has control over it. Times are changing, Kurotsuchi; and to be honest I'm hoping Sand and Stone will be allies in the future." her breath hitched, clearly caught off guard.

"Allies!" she exclaimed, flushing when she saw all eyes turning to her with amusement, "I'm sorry, W-What?!" she stuttered.

Naruto took a step forward, making her take one back out of sheer instincts. His aura alone was one she had never encountered before - an aura of power, of pure confidence. He wasn't even oozing the slightest bits of chakra or killing intent, and yet, as ashamed as she was to admit it, Kurotsuchi already felt dominated by his presence. "You aren't ready, Kurotsuchi. Not yet, but even I can see you'll be the one who'll be named the Tsuchikage given some time to mature and grow." Naruto honestly confessed, "I want us to be neutral at least, if not more."

Suddenly, for some odd reason, Kurotsuchi found her heels to be an awful lot interesting, "…You really believe I'll be Tsuchikage?!" she whispered in such a small voice that Naruto had almost missed it.

"Believe?" Naruto picked her chin up and forced her gaze to his, "I know you'll be Tsuchikage, girl; a fine one at that!" flashed with one of his trademark fox-like grins, Kurotsuchi found the tips of her ear turning hot and her knees felt fuzzy. If she were to be honest, which wasn't common, she had been doubting her own worth as a candidate to that position ever since she'd seen that raw display of power back in the arenas.

To think, the old man she chewed off everyday, stood on equal terms with these behemoths had crushed her confidence in ways she absolutely did not desire. But here she was, being touted as a perfect candidate to that post by none other than Namikaze Naruto, the man who had the guts to go against the Raikage without an ounce of fear.

The man she hated, and dare she say, respected and idolized from the bottom of her heart.

"Friends," she whispered, pushing her hand onward, "…I'd like that."

Naruto took it and shook it firmly, "I'm glad." he said, actually glad to have made at least turned one adversary into a friendship he could rely on in the future. But this wasn't right, there wasn't anything solid to reaffirm the solidarity to this newly minted bond. Just then, an idea struck him and he rummaged through his back pocket for the item.

Taking her small hand in his own, with Kurotsuchi noting how rugged and assuring it felt against her own manicured ones, her hand instantly curled up into a tight fist from the unwarranted action from the blonde. Rubbing the inside of her palm in circles, Naruto eased her grip and opened her fist before closing it back down to place his kunai firmly in her hands, "Let's seal it with this." he suggested, and Kurotsuchi brushed the cold steel in her palms with a forlorn look. She knew it, of course.

It was a three pronged kunai, "...What's this?" she asked, feigning ignorance.

"This is my treasure," Naruto never ceased to amaze her, "…a kunai with _the_ shiki formula on it. It only works one way, of course," seeing her confused face, he elaborated, "…meaning it only works if someone on the other end pumps some chakra into it. You don't have to worry about me infiltrating your village or something, it is a fail safe of sorts. If you find yourself in trouble you can't escape, and have no one to rely on; just ring me up or give me a call through this." and there it was again, once more his eyes shone with that same aura of dominance she'd been enveloped in before. But the words he uttered next made her very heart shiver. "I'll be there in a flash," Naruto promised, only now noticing the fear and hesitation in her eyes. But this was something she had to decide for herself, even he knew that much; a decision that might very well shape her village's future.

How many times had she heard those cursed words? It was part of a popular saying in her village, after all. The Third Great Shinobi War had left a scar too great to be filled in the hearts of her people with time.

' **If you saw the flash, your neck had a slash.'**

This saying had been ingrained in her mind ever since the early days of her childhood. It was the saying that had taken a thousand lives in a minute - her mother included - after all. Everyone knew them in the Stone, these kunai knives were hated with a passion back home. But to think these very knives would become a tempting offer to friendship one day, Kurotsuchi had to admit that life had a sadistic sense of humor.

"My village can decipher this, you know." she admitted softly, "I can even call you into a trap and have you assassinated with this," her thumb lightly tracing the treasured formula perfected by the Fourth Hokage; her own heart and mind unsure on how to go about this or what exactly she was supposed to make of this unexpected offer.

Why was he placing such faith in her?

"Then you're very welcome to try, princess."

Naruto's tone was cocky, mocking almost. But this time, instead of scowling or outright biting his head off, Kurotsuchi smiled lightly. She flicked the slit of her gown to the right, exposing her naked thigh and the black belt holding a single kunai to him. Disposing off the prerequisite weapon it held in a trash can kept by her side, she tucked her new and trusted weapon safely in place. "I won't tell anyone of this, I promise, your secret's safe with me." she whispered, fixing her gown back in place. "But why go so far for me? Aren't we supposed to be enemies?!"

Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, "Why stay enemies when we can be friends?" he shrugged his shoulders, winking playfully. His words marked the end of their conversation as an ANBU came by his side and whispered something in his ear, forcing said blonde to excuse himself from her. Seeing him go, Kurotsuchi couldn't help but murmur.

"Friends huh," she grinned like a cat, "It's got a nice ring to it."

Seeing him stride through the crowd like a lion of sorts, Kurostsuchi let her gaze linger on his wide and firm back for a moment too long. _"Were his shoulders always this broad…?!"_ she hummed, _"Hm, I wonder…"_ Her head tilting aside in honest confusion, she wondered if she was sick or something. Her cheeks still felt hot as a volcano for some odd reason as if she'd just spit out some lava in the aftermath to one of her techniques.

Maybe, the Desert heat was finally getting to her.

* * *

Lifeless, wrinkled eyes watched the circling liquid rippling in his saucer, rather blankly. It had been this way ever since he'd come to the Sand, a decision he knew his heart would regret until the day he'd die. This was how it was supposed to be, wasn't it? The likes of a legendary ninja like him reduced to living his aging years as a failure, drinking his years away.

"Is this seat taken?"

Looking up at the annoying voice that had just broken his peaceful trance, Jiraiya squinted his eyes to make sure his eyes weren't deceiving him, "…I've got only one spot left, tell the other three to find someplace else." he grumbled, downing yet another saucer before pouring it full for another round, signaling the waiter for another bottle yet again.

"...How many bottles has it been, already?!"

"None of your damn business, that's how many!"

A small, soft hand met his cheek for an audible smack, one that left his eyes twinkling and mind spinning with the sheer grunt put behind it. "You never take that tone with me. Drunk or otherwise, understand?!"

"Just who do you think you are lecturing me…"

The annoying voice cut him off, "The last person who truly cares about your well being, Jiraiya. Your trusted teammate, that's who I think I am."

"Tsunade, is that you?!"

"Yes, silly." she giggled, "It's me, who else? I don't think Orochimaru of all people would visit you in broad daylight on a whim." the effect of alcohol instantly flushed itself out of his system, and Jiraiya's vision sharpened to see the woman he could never get sitting there in all her glory, sipping on some tea, "Why'd you come here, Tsunade? Don't you have better places to be? Better people to meet in that party?" he scoffed haughtily, trying and failing miserably to put up a mighty front and save some face; at least in front of her.

"Jiraiya, it isn't even time for supper and you can't even count people with your eyes. What's gotten into you, huh?! You're ruining your life!"

"Oho!" Jiraiya exclaimed, faking a laugh, "…Is that concern I hear?!"

"Jiraiya…" Tsunade sighed.

"Well, I'll be damned." he laughed boisterously, "Never thought the day would come when you'd come see me in a time of peril, the legendary kunoichi Senju Tsunade! I must admit, I'm honored!" he stumbled a bow.

It was this moment that the waiter chose to make his presence known, "Sir, your bottle." before Jiraiya's fingers or the timber of their table could so much as touch the porcelain of this bottle, Tsunade snatched the annoying thing away and slammed Jiraiya's saucer right back on the waiter's tray, "Take it away," she snapped, "He'll have a coffee, black!"

Before he could so much as utter a word of protest, Tsunade raised her hand chidingly and shut Jiraiya up like a mother would do to her child. "We'll have a decent conversation like two responsible adults, it's about damn time you came down from your high and back to your senses." even if she was at odds with him, he was still her teammate and friend. How many times had he come through for her in her times of need?

"That's the point, Tsunade," Jiraiya growled, "I don't want to come to my senses."

Tsunade's eyes softened, "Why not, Jiraiya?" she asked tenderly.

"Don't take that tone with me," Jiraiya thundered, and out went the tenderness from her eyes, " I don't want your pity!" he roared loudly.

"Alright," she whispered.

He scoffed, "Fine."

There was a moment of silence as Jiraiya's eyes clouded up in nostalgia, "You know something, Tsunade. I idolized sensei more than anyone in the village," he confessed in a drunken stupor, clearly beyond his senses.

Tsunade hummed, intrigued, "I know."

"That time, when I returned to the village a month before the finals of the chunin exams were about to happen, you wanna know what he told me?!" Jiraiya sniffled, forcing Tsunade to give his hand an assuring squeeze and urged him to go on. It was high time he let this out and finally told her the truth he'd been running from all this time.

"He told me, Naruto had even more potential than he'd seen in either Orochimaru, Minato and even Itachi. Then, sensei even went on to tell me he'd have taken Naruto in as his apprentice had he not been Hokage. You should have seen how he looked at the boy, Tsunade. It was like he was a blood relative of his own." it wasn't his words that surprised her, it was the tone laced with pure venom that did Tsunade's composure in.

"Yeah, he really loved the kid." Tsunade agreed, smiling fondly.

"No, hear me out," Jiraiya intervened, "He said it would be nice to leave behind at least one student who wasn't a complete failure in his eyes!" Jiraiya laughed out loud, and Tsunade was forced to duck her head in shame. How many times had Hiruzen called her back in times of need?

Every time, she'd answered his calls with curses and swears to the village. She knew they ached his heart, stabbed him with pain every time she let her hostility for the Leaf bare boned right in front of him.

But the man had always smiled, even helped her with money related matters whenever she'd needed his assistance in hopes that maybe, just maybe someday she'd come around and see the light at the end of the metaphorical tunnel. Unfortunately, by the time she'd come to her senses, his corpse had already been cold in the grave while the village was left in tatters.

"He told me the kid had learnt a forbidden Jonin technique in a couple of hours," this was the first Tsunade was hearing of it, so sh leaned forward in interest, "I'd chugged it down as an over-exaggerated praise, of course. But he wouldn't hear any of it. You should have seen him, the man looked possessed." before Tsunade could get a word off her lips, "Then, I took Naruto on that trip to find you. It was then that I saw what sensei had seen all those years ago."

"The raw potential, a legend in the making. Kid nearly mastered the Rasengan, a technique that took Minato three years to complete and six months for me to learn in a mere month. He was a diamond in the rough, with the correct assistance I knew he was destined to take sensei's and Minato's place some day then and there."

Her mouth opened and closed a couple of times, and she narrowed her eyes in deep contemplation. This was finally the time he was letting the cat out of the bag, finally admitting the truths, "Then what happened?"

"Then," Jiraiya chugged down the remainder of sake from his old bottle and swiped the drops with the back of his palm, "…Sasuke went AWOL."

Tsunade quieted down completely, letting him push everything out and tell her why the hell he'd gone on and betrayed the boy who he had such high hopes for; the boy who he spoke for with such pride and admiration, "I honestly believed he'd fail, Sasuke would go to Orochimaru in search of power and I'd take him out on a trip to train and keep Akatsuki off his tracks. That was the plan, back then at least."

"Why'd you do it, Jiraiya?" Tsunade whispered, "Why'd you betray him?" she couldn't help but ask the question eating away at her soul.

"Because he succeeded!" Jiraiya thundered as if the devil himself was upon him, "He even succeed where I failed! How the hell could he bring Sasuke back?!" Tsunade's eyes widened, all blocks in her mind clicking.

"You were jealous of him?!" she asked him as if he were ridiculous.

"Of course I was jealous!" he huffed, and she didn't know if he was just drunk or plain old stupid right now, "When he was in the hospital, that Hyuga chick would come daily to leave some flowers. A princess adored him, Tsunade. He had the genes and lineage of his parents; an untapped potential no one could hope to achieve given the proper guidance. You see where I'm going with this, he was a carbon copy of me, just a bit more and perfect and completely in reverse!"

"He succeeded at everything I'd failed. Naruto brought back Sasuke where I failed to bring back Orochimaru. He had the love of a princess, when I failed to so much as get a glance from the woman I loved," Tsunade looked away at that, "…Even the toads liked him more than me and Minato combined. Bunta said he was too stupid and gutsy but they loved him. Plus, he had the makings of a perfect sage!" Jiraiya crushed the bottle in his palms with a distinct shatter of glass and porcelain.

"So, when the villagers turned on him for bruising up the Uchiha, I let them be." a lone tear slipped past his cheek and Jiraiya hid his face in the palms of his hands, "God knows I wanted to help him, but something dark bubbled up in my chest and I just wanted him to take it." he spat bitterly, "I wanted him to feel the burden of my failures, the loneliness of a friend's betrayal and the path of solitude that I've endured on my travels." he made a motion of his neck being sliced and spoke and smiled evilly, "So, I sided with the villagers instead of him and cut off his contact with the toads. Told them that he was a traitor to the village and got his contract completely annulled." he nearly cried towards the end.

"I took away everything from him and left him with nothing!"

Tsunade herself was openly crying now, to think she herself had a part in making Jiraiya fall so far was utterly painful and agonizing at the same time. "Jiraiya," she honestly didn't have any words to explain her predicament right now, "I'm the true demon, aren't I, Tsunade?!"

".…Jiraiya," Tsunade didn't even have enough words left to console him right now. Whether the reason be hatred, pity or remorse she'd never know. "Minato and Kushina left me in charge of their legacy, their baby. Sarutobi-sensei entrusted me with the care of nurturing one of his soldiers and training the village's jinchuriki. He was my godson, my responsibility for god's sake and I pushed him out of his home and kicked him to the wolves!" Jiraiya slammed his fist on the table and webbed a link of cracks in it in despair.

"Why didn't you say something sooner, Jiraiya?"

"What was I to say?" he chuckled lifelessly, "…And who was I to tell?"

Tsunade had absolutely no answer to that.

" **You could have told me."**

Tsunade blinked, realizing it definitely wasn't Jiraiya's voice she was hearing since it was so feminine. Jiraiya blinked, realizing it definitely wasn't Tsunade's voice he was hearing even in this drunken stupor.

Both turned around as one, seeing a girl with hip length blonde hair straightened out on her back standing there with a white free flowing gown hugging her curves, "Temari," Tsunade whispered in distress.

Of all the people, it had to be have been her.

"How much did you hear?" Jiraiya asked with a wince, realizing the true extent of his actions for the night as the alcohol in his system was all but gone right now. "Enough," she answered curtly, her stance firm and cool. "I came to escort you back to the party, Lady Tsunade." she said calmly.

"Listen, about what you just heard…" Jiraiya started to try and explain his side of the story. But, when he saw her cross her arms beneath her bosoms as her teal greens narrowed in on him, words left his throat.

"Jiraiya," Temari sighed and ignored the formality of honorifics, "I honestly cannot care less about what you said right now. I don't even know what to think about you right now. So, for now, let's just forget this ever happened and return to our lives." Jiraiya stayed silent and let her say whatever she wished for. Temari honestly could have cursed him to her heart's desire and he wouldn't have retorted to even a single word of it. But he knew she wouldn't stoop to do something so low and disgusting. She was above all this, after all, she wasn't like him. She was the girl who held Naruto's heart in the palm of her hands, after all.

"That will be for the better. I suppose," Jiraiya agreed and stumbled by her side. Just as he was about to pass her, he stopped and looked at her. Temari didn't even bat an eyelash when he tried to touch her cheek with his finger, only for her to take a step back and stare at him quietly to see what it was that he wanted. "You're a great girl, Temari." he acknowledged, "You've got the same sass coupled with the soft side Kushina once did. Take care of him for me, will you?"

Temari stayed quiet for a moment, but after thinking about it, "I'll always be there for him," she said quietly, "…But not for you, for myself."

"R-Regardless, thank you."

Temari watched him trudge out of the bar with a firm gaze, but her heart went out for the man whose walk held none of the composure a legendary ninja like him should have held. Just as he was about to leave, "Jiraiya," she called out to him. Said man stopped, and looked at her in surprise.

Temari turned her gaze to Tsunade and motioned for them to come a bit closer, "There's a tradition in the Sand," she started quietly, honestly confused if she should be doing this with them or not. "…Elders are supposed to gift their children with something, anything, to impart their young ones with blessings and keep away evil eyes from the shadows of their children." Temari opened up one of her palm and kept the other one on her stomach, "I've got neither a mother nor a father; neither does Naruto. So, it's only right I get something for this young one to impart him with an elder's blessings." she whispered, looking down.

"W-What?!" Jiraiya stammered, "Child, what child? Where is he?"

Tsunade tugged his sleeve, wide eyed, "Temari, a-are you?!"

"Yes," she affirmed, "I'm pregnant."

"Lord, have mercy on me!" Tsunade squealed in delight, "How long?"

"One week."

Tsunade went forward to inspect her stomach and diagnose her but Temari stepped back, palm still outstretched impatiently, "Don't get me wrong, Lady Tsunade. Naruto may trust you, but you're still a medical ninja from an allied village. You get the gist, right?" she asked icily.

Tsunade smiled tightly, knowing full well what she meant. Being a medical ninja of her caliber, it wasn't out of Tsunade's skill to perform an abortion with the slightest of touches; and she had even seen the girl try and keep her distance in the house without making Naruto realize it. She hadn't hoped Temari to outright trust her, but Tsunade had hoped she at least had a little faith in her. "My gift," Temari asked for the final time.

Tsunade hurried through her blouse and took out her wallet, instantly emptying everything above the denomination of a hundred in her palms. "Thank you," Temari nodded, and turned to Jiraiya with an impatient tap of her foot. "Are you going to hand me something, or not?!" she asked.

As if someone had pricked him with a pin, Jiraiya shivered, "O-Of course," he nearly cried in joy. The news still hadn't seeped in enough, Naruto was going to become a father! Minato and Kushina were going to be grandparents, and Temari was willing to at least let him impart his blessings onto their unborn infant! He slid his hands all over his torso, his fingers tracing the black thread hung around his neck like a feather.

Jiraiya plucked the necklace off, brushing the crimson ruby shaped into a spiral with a forlorn smile. "T-This was Kushina's" he admitted softly, tracing the jewel as if it were the most precious thing in the world. "It's all I have for now, Temari. Please accept it." the girl graciously took it with both her palms and clutched it to her chest with a warm smile.

"Thank you,"

Tsunade cupped the girl's head in her palms and pulled her blushing face down to plant a kiss on her forehead, "Life is a flame that is always burning itself out, but it catches fire again every time a child is born - My Grandmother used to preach me this when I was little, maybe they'll re-vigor a new flame for this child too. It's truly a new era, Temari."

Jiraiya took it as his queue to leave and try as he might to stop his face into wrinkling up while he balled his eyes out in front of two ladies. "Master Jiraiya," Temari called before he left, again, "I'll see you at the baby shower, right?" her eyes turned to Tsunade, "…the both of you?"

"Of course," Tsunade chirped up almost instantly, and looked behind to see Jiraiya leaning by the door with an arm as if he'd just been through war. He started leaving without a word, but both women heard a choked sob, "Jiraiya, will you accompany me?" Tsunade asked again. This was the only chance at redemption he might ever receive, but it was his call.

Tsunade knew it.

Even Jiraiya knew it.

Jiraiya raised up his free hand with a chuckle, "I won't miss it for the world!" with that said, Jiraiya walked out to find himself a bathhouse before he went to a shrine and finally made a trip to the cemetery back in the Leaf. Someone had to give news to Minato and Kushina, after all.

Maybe, just maybe he could redeem his fallen self after all?

Otherwise, hell was what awaited him.

* * *

 **(Lemon ahead, but I urge you read it. It is relevant, but you've been warned.)**

* * *

White mist covered the room like a thin veil. Most would be hesitant to say that the visibility was favorable, but the man and woman inside were accustomed to this atmosphere and could see without any obstructions.

"Sasuke-kun," a soft voice purred, "…yesss!"

Sasuke licked the valley of her breasts enticingly, slowly but surely grazing his teeth on her skin. The girl winced a little, but continued to moan when her took her breasts and roughly massage them.

He proceeded to take a pert nipple in between his lips, she whimpered when his teeth circled around the appendage while he started biting away over it savagely.

She continued to scream as he kept sucking and biting away at her nipple like a beast while his hand traveled down south, right in between her thighs. Sasuke slowly moved his mouth up from her chest and kissed her mouth, dipping his tongue into her hot mouth as a battle of tongues ensued, all the while three of his fingers tried to work his way inside her.

Clenching her nose in a pinch, Sasuke kissed her so roughly the girl nearly lost her breath. "S-Sasuke…" her whimper made him groan. Clenching the flesh of her neck in his teeth, "Say it." Sasuke grunted.

"S-Sasuke-kun, I-I want you."

Slapping her hard, "What did I tell you to say?" he growled.

Tears of fright rolled down her cheeks, "S-Sasuke-kun, I love you. I-I love you with all my heart, but I can't take it anymore…" she was almost afraid to say the next part but went on anyways, "I n-need you now."

"Your wish is my command."

Sasuke rose up from her slender form, and positioned his member in front of her entrance with one swift movement. She cried out in shock and pain, nearly unbelieving that making love could ever be this harsh. Slowly he started to thrust in and out, in and out. Before, without any warning, Sasuke started picking up the pace and continued groaning.

The girl tried to keep up with the pace, but failed miserably. He was going too fast, "S-Sasuke-kun, slow down please…" she whimpered.

His rock hard shaft hilted with each thrust, hitting her walls repeatedly with an audible smack. It wasn't long before her walls tightened up and she started to bleed. "Ow, Sasuke!" she cried, "Please, stop. You're hurting me!" her wails fell on deaf ears, as he continued to pound into her while she held onto the sheets for dear life and waited for this nightmare to just end. Without even removing himself, Sasuke flipped her into a puppy position and continued his assault with the same ferocity. The force itself was so great that his partner kept hitting her head on the headboard of the bed repeatedly, "I'm near the end."

With one last thrust, he came inside her while the girl collapsed on the bed with a sniffle. Her heartbeat calmed down and she curled up into a little ball as he pulled out of her. Sasuke sat with her, tangled in the sheets for about five minutes before cleaning himself off and started putting on his clothes. Walking out to the living room, Sasuke looked back, annoyed that she was still following him around like a puppy.

"Where are you going, Sasuke-kun?"

"Sakura, it was a good session but you know I have to go. We've been over this a thousand times already, if anyone catches us together it won't look good on me. I've got a reputation to uphold, unlike you."

"O-Of course." she whispered.

"Tomorrow, before leaving try and steer Naruto away from you know who. Make up with him and keep up public appearances, and I swear you'll have proven your love and loyalty to me. Next time he goes off on his own, my mission will finally have come to fruition." with that said, Sasuke left a naked Sakura whimpering in the living room. Little did he know that the couple had an audience waiting in the hiding for them.

Sakura was so engrossed in the pain she felt that she didn't feel any presence behind her until it was too late. She turned around, only to see the hilt of a sword making it's way to connect to the side her temple.

* * *

Gaara's time at the party had been uninteresting so far. Apart from making small talk with more of the fellow Kages, there hadn't been anything eventful for him in this gathering thus far. Just as he was about to make his way and talk to Naruto about how the talks with Kurotsuchi had proceeded, a man cloaked in a dark black shroud was in front of him. Gaara didn't need to ask to know that this was the official to his ANBU.

"Lord Kazekage," he bowed dutifully, "Lord Naruto wishes your presence in the back of the Administrative Tower."

Eyebrow quirking up in surprise, "What's that idiot up to this time?" he sighed seeing Naruto walk out with an ANBU just at the same time. Two more ANBU flanked his back while their leader motioned for him to follow him outside, "I don't need so many escorts, you know."

"Lord Naruto's orders, we cannot disobey Lord Fifth."

Gaara walked with the silent trio out in the village before they took to the roof and made their way back to the Kazekage Tower. The ANBU jumped down in the barren lawns of the building while Gaara looked around, unimpressed, "Where's Naruto? Is this some sort of a joke?"

"Not at all," the ANBU leader said, "We just wanted to have a private time with you, is all." his partner chuckled before taking his mask off.

Gaara's eyes narrowed when his eyes were greeted with blue flesh instead of a normal human skin while the man grinned with his shark like teeth as if he'd made some sort of a joke. His own eyes turned to the second flanking ANBU who took his mask of only for Gaara to gaze into the accursed crimson eyes of the ancient shinobi clan.

"Hoshgaki Kisame, Uchiha Itachi," he muttered, annoyed, "…the Akatsuki."

"Oho," Kisame laughed, "You know us already, I must say I'm honored."

"Lord Kazekage," Itachi spoke, ignoring his partner's useless bumbles, "We wish for you to come with us, peacefully."

"You've got some nerve to order me around, in a desert no less." Gaara said, calm as a cucumber. He turned around to look at the final one, "…And you, the third musketeer. Who the hell are you? Identify yourself!"

"Me?" the last one took off his mask and said a name that made Gaara's blood run cold. "I'm Uzumaki,"

" **Uzumaki Nagato."**

* * *

 _ **~~~End of Act I~~~**_

* * *

 _ **A/N : There is the official end to the first part of this story. It was originally planned to have no more than 12 chapters, but as you've seen I do tend to overdo myself quite a bit. I've tied some loose threads in this chapter, while the rest will be tied in the future arcs so rest assured. I'm sure this will be controversial chapter, but for all those wondering for the drastic plot twists, it was supposed to be this way ever since the beginning.**_

 _ **I won't say anything else and spoil the future chapters, wanted to cover a bit less in this chapter but ended up putting up way too many plot points in it anyways. Forgive me for anyone offended by the rough lemon, but it was, as I said pretty relevant to the plot. I'm a pretty soft writer usually, but if the plot demands it I am one to pull out the stops.**_

 _ **Hope, the chapter was up to everyone's expectations and as for the delay; I was having a writer's block and didn't want to half ass this chapter in the slightest. Ended up deleting six drafts before this one made the cut, so hope you all like it. Leave your flames and reviews in the comments and I'll see you all next time with Act II of the story.**_

 _ **Until next time, keep reading and reviewing.**_

 _ **Ja Ne ;)**_

* * *

 _ **PS : Please post your comments in reviews as to how many of you aren't offended by Act II taking a small harem route, since the plot ahead may demand it, not for the lemons or anything but for the plot itself. If it doesn't meet your requirements, then I'll cook something up otherwise; so don't be worried. It is all for a perspective from readers, final decision still rests with me so no worries there as well.**_


	21. Chapter 21

**Desert Flower**

* * *

 **This one** **'s been a long wait, so forgive me for the delay. And since the wait has been this long, let's just get on with the chapter. Hope y'all like it!~**

* * *

A soft tune broke into the light lilting air as Temari stretched her body upwards and extended an arm to grab a pack of tea from the top shelf. The mellow beams of sunlight accentuated the glow on her cheeks as the balls of her feet danced over the wooden floor with customary elegance and felicity; the tip-taps of her toes in sync with the tune she was crooning.

The scent of tea leaves brew wafted through the air as she went towards some sugar, when, suddenly, a pair of arms grabbed hold of her and stopped her from dancing. Naruto pressed his lips to Temari's ear and kissed it tenderly, enveloping Temari in that tender hug of his from behind that always made her feel mushy, "Someone's in a good mood today." he whispered.

Temari smiled as she laid her cheek against his shoulder and started swaying in his arms, "Mm-hmm." she hummed. Both savored in the serenity of the moment when Naruto started matching her movements and swayed left and right to her hums.

"What's got you in such a good mood, hime?" Naruto asked after a few minutes of dancing.

Temari didn't answer him. Too engrossed was she in her own little world. The sunlight struck the pendant on Temari's chest and bounced off the gem in the middle. Its gleam caught Naruto's eye. He slid his finger along the black thread tied around her neck and traced its length lightly, his smile widening when Temari's breath hitched as little as he went lower and lower, until his finger reached the ruby pendant. Carved into a familiar little spiral it was. As it rested in his palm, Naruto took his time to appreciate the craftsmanship, "That's one exquisite necklace … " he murmured thoughtfully, smiling. He let go off the pendant and squeezed her waist tenderly. "… you've been busy spending my hard earned money, I see." he said, chuckling a little towards the end.

Temari said nothing, instead, she wrapped her arms around his neck and turned around in his arms. "You like it?" she asked.

"Yes, it's beautiful," Naruto whispered.

Temari opened her eyes a little to see him staring not at the necklace, but at her. She squeezed her eyes shut in embarrassment, and the tips of her ears turned hot. Naruto chuckled when she nuzzled her nose in his neck to hide her face. "Idiot," she muttered, smacking his chest lightly. "Are you free tonight?"

Her question caught Naruto by surprise. He thought about it for a second. "Hm, I suppose," he replied, rubbing her arm gently. "Did you have something in mind for tonight?" he asked.

"I do." Temari nodded.

"What is it?"

"It's a surprise that will blow your socks off, mister," Temari said, grinning like the Cheshire cat.

He playfully pinched her nose. "Keeping surprises from me, are you?" Naruto asked.

Temari drew circles on his chest with her finger and chewed on her lip, "It's important," she whispered.

Naruto raised her chin up with his thumb, with worry in his eyes, "Hey," he said in a cooing voice, "what's got you looking so worried? Tell me."

Temari shook her head. "Not now-tonight," she said resolutely.

Naruto turned off the stove and pulled her head back against his shoulder. "All right then," he said.

"Promise me that you'll be home tonight," Temari whispered.

"Won't miss it for the world," he promised.

There was a knock to the door that drew the couple's attention. "I'll go get it," Naruto said, not bothering to hide the subtle annoyance lacing his words. Opening the door, Naruto was greeted with the familiar, sparsely-painted face of his brother-in-law. "Kankuro?"

"Morning," Kankuro said. Naruto nodded and motioned for him to come inside, but Kankuro shook his head. "I'm here on official business. Can you get Temari for me?"

"What official business is that?" － ' _one that I haven't sanctioned'_.

Kankuro sighed. "Your protectiveness of my sister is endearing and all … … but I really need Temari's help on this one." Naruto had the decency to rub his neck in embarrassment on hearing that.

"Help?" Temari walked out the door and stood beside Naruto. "With what?" she asked.

"There's this kunoichi who's been apprehended on grounds of suspicious behavior by the ANBU. But she isn't willing to cooperate with anyone, that is, anyone besides you," Kankuro explained, not unwilling to meet Naruto's suspicious stare even for a second.

Temari's brows furrowed in slight confusion. "That's odd," she murmured.

"Who's the kunoichi?" Naruto asked.

Kankuro looked Naruto in the eyes. "I can't answer," he said after a moment's deliberation.

"Which village is she from?" he pressed on.

"I can't answer."

Temari's frown became a bit more pronounced as she silently watched the back and forth between them. "Kankuro …" she whispered worriedly when Naruto took a hold of her hand and gave it a firm squeeze to stop her from interfering.

"Why can't you answer me, Kankuro?"

"I-I can't answer."

"This is my last question, and you will answer me － did Gaara sanction this arrest?" Naruto asked firmly.

Kankuro knew from the hard tone that he wasn't getting out of this without an answer. "No," he begrudgingly admitted.

Temari took a step closer to keep her husband from blowing up at her brother. Naruto took a deep breath and pinched his nose with a sigh. "Then, on whose authority was she …"

"Mine," Kankuro answered before he could finish asking the question.

Naruto slowly unwound his arm from Temari's grip and gave her a reassuring smile. He took a couple steps closer and stood within arm's length of Kankuro. His tall form towered over the puppeteer like a mountain shadowing a plane. "You do realize that this reckless arrest can turn into an international disaster, right?" Naruto asked in a low voice. Seeing Kankuro's hesitant nod, Naruto poked his chest with his finger. "I'm giving you full authority, just this once. I won't ask you anything else, just don't make me clean up your mess afterwards."

"Thank you, Naruto," Kankuro murmured out of Temari's earshot.

Naruto walked back and circled an arm around Temari's waist. "I'll make sure she's with you in an hour. I'd prefer not to waste our tea," Naruto told him. Kankuro opened his mouth to refute but seeing Naruto's mischievous look, and Temari's fond smile, he knew he wasn't winning this argument.

"Fine. Just have her be there on time, will you?" he grunted and walked off the premises.

Naruto walked inside, and Temari closed the door behind them. Leaning her back against the door. "Why didn't you ask him more forcefully?" she asked.

"Don't you remember what he said?" he said, and seeing her adorably confused expression, he added, "he said 'I can't answer.' to all my questions. And that, even as a hint, is a dangerous thing to say. He knew I was questioning him as a superior, and yet, even though it could become dangerous for him, he continued saying so. Whatever intel he has on this, he'll only share with you. And I trust my wife enough to make the right decision with whatever it is Kankuro … " This was all Naruto could add before Temari closed the distance between them and hugged him.

"I love you," she whispered.

Naruto wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "I love you too, princess. Just remember to call me if things go down south. I'm always here for you, and even if you find yourself too deep in something unofficial, just talk to me, all right?" he said. Temari nodded and smiled against his chest. She pecked his lips lightly and broke free from the hug, leading him back to the dining room by his hand.

The tea, (un)fortunately, was never served~

* * *

The darkness in the room did nothing to alleviate the redness in Sakura's eyes. The well-kempt pink hair she frequently flaunted was ratty. And unlike the innocuous warmth and cool shade she was accustomed to, the torrid heat of the desert made her skin clammy.

Sakura was thankful for the silence in the cell. As she sat, knees to her chest and tears in her eyes, the tranquil silence allowed her to search deeper inside her soul. She had seen her love, Sasuke, cold and distant many times before, but last night his actions and his words had taken even her by surprise. She had given him everything she had to give, heeded his every beck and call like a loyal wife, but it wasn't enough; it was never enough.

Sakura knew now that, even through those countless passionate nights of love, his heart had never been hers. She had merely been a pawn, a piece whose use was now nearing an end. It was a bitter pill to swallow. The truth had been in front of her all this time, but she had always turned a blind eye to it. Sasuke's ambitions were too large for her to live up to, his thirst for revenge too much to quench with only her love.

And this time, his ambitions were going to destroy a family.

The iron gate creaked and broke the silence when the masked-guard held it open for her two visitors. The guard switched on the lights for the first time today, and Sakura had to squint her eyes and hide her face behind her hand to escape the searing light that momentarily blinded her eyes.

"Sakura?" Temari slowly came closer to the girl.

"Careful," Kankuro murmured from behind. As usual, his sister paid no heed to his words and knelt in front of the girl. Sakura brushed away some of the hairs covering her eyes and smiled toothily. Veins were prominent in the whites of her eyes. The tear marks that covered her swollen cheeks gave Temari enough reason to assume that the girl had been crying for quite a while now.

"You came to see me, Temari. I'm glad," Sakura whispered.

Temari did not know what came over her when she cupped Sakura's cheek. Maybe it was the lost look in her eyes? Or was it the swollen cheeks she wanted to caress? Perhaps, even her own primitive motherly instincts were to blame for the strange affection she showed to Sakura.

"What happened to you?" Temari rubbed her cheek with her thumb. Seeing her eyes filled with worry, Sakura circled her arms around Temari's neck and put her weight onto the blonde. Temari tumbled down on her buttocks and enveloped Sakura in a hug. Sakura's soft mumbles were almost incoherent to Temari, but Kami did she sound devastated.

"Are you all right?" were the first words Temari was able to make out from the countless others Sakura sobbed. Temari rubbed Sakura's back soothingly and lightly smoothed out her messy pink hair.

"Me?" Temari nearly giggled, "I should be asking you the same, silly."

Temari turned her head to see Kankuro eyeing her with disapproval, clearly not fond of the affection his sister was showering over his suspect. The blonde frowned at her brother and gave him a look that demanded he stay put; and stay put, he did.

"Did Sasuke meet you?" Sakura whispered between her sobs. Temari stiffened from her words before going back to brushing Sakura's hair when the girl clutched at her waist tighter, clearly afraid that the blonde would push her away without an answer.

"No, I haven't met Sasuke," Temari confessed.

"Thank Kami," Sakura murmured in her neck, her breaths evening out a little.

Kankuro was stiff as a board behind Temari's back, his nails biting painfully into his arms. "I knew it," he muttered to himself. It eased his heart a little that his suspicions hadn't been unfounded, but that same hunch worried him too. Being a regular participant in the ANBU's interrogation core gave him an insight far keener than most, and the subtle glances Sasuke kept shooting his sister with throughout his stay irked the puppeteer in all the wrong ways.

Neither were the looks leering, nor were they lustful. They were sharp － attentive, even. As if they were taking note of his sister's every move, watching her every step. The implications as to what those looks could mean in the grand scheme of things made the hairs on Kankuro's neck stand on ends.

"What happened to you, Sakura?" Kankuro paced back and forth in the cell.

Temari felt Sakura go still in her arms. She looked back to see Kankuro's eyes trained on the girl like a hawk. She wasn't nearly as oblivious as to not realize what her brother was trying to do － he was trying to wear Sakura's vulnerable mind down until the girl spilled everything he wanted to know.

Temari pushed back Sakura lightly and held her hands in her own. She looked at the girl's body from top to bottom. Temari's eyes got narrower and narrower the lower they went. Sakura squirmed a little when she realized that the dishevelled kimono was not hiding her skin that well, and that the blonde's eyes were trained intently at the scars on her thighs.

Temari lightly traced the bruised skin on Sakura's thighs and her face contorted in anguish when Sakura shamefully slapped her hand away with a soft whimper. Temari's throat became dry as the desert seeing the face of her brother when she looked behind and saw the look of utter contempt Kankuro had shot Sakura.

She looked back at Sakura and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "D-Did Sasuke do this to you?" she asked as kindly and softly as was humanly possible.

Sakura's lips parted to reply, but no words came out of 'em. The lump in her throat became even more pronounced. She covered her mouth with her hand to try and stop the sobs, but all her attempts were futile. Temari held her trembling shoulders firmly, as if the girl would shatter into a million little pieces the moment she'd let go.

"Don't listen to her, Temari. My ANBU were watching them," Kankuro's words seemed to make Sakura look even smaller and frailer, "this whore was enjoying … "

Kankuro's head jerked to the side as Temari's palm met his cheek in a tight slap. Kankuro caressed his stinging cheek and looked at his sister with wide eyes. Temari's body was trembling in rage. Kankuro closed his eyes, fully expecting another slap when Temari raised her hand once more. The blow never came, and Kankuro opened his eyes to see his elder sister holding a warning finger at his nose.

"Not another word," she warned him in a low voice.

Temari gracefully sat on her knees and looked at Sakura kindly. "Does it hurt when you sit?" she asked.

"A little." Sakura nodded timidly.

"Kankuro, get a female medic in here," Temari told the puppeteer in a stern voice.

There was no room for argument left in her tone. Kankuro clenched his knuckles till they turned white and turned to the guard outside. "Get us a medic," he begrudgingly ordered the guard outside, who looked stupefied even with his mask.

"Sir? She's a prisoner, you can't be serious … "

The utter humiliation and frustration coupled with the sting he was still feeling from the slap he'd just been struck with made Kankuro pull open the gate and smack the guard multiple times on his head with the papers in his hand as he barked, "didn't you hear what she just said? Get the girl a damn medic!" The poor guard turned tail and scurried off as if the devil himself was upon him.

"Thank you," Sakura said gratefully.

"Don't thank me," Temari said with a smile, "there are things I cannot forgive as woman."

Sakura turned her gaze down at her lap and grabbed the edge of her kimono, "You are really kind and strong, Temari. I can see why everyone regards you so highly," she admitted wistfully.

"Why did you want to see me in person, Sakura?" Temari asked.

Sakura looked up with a hint of determination in her eyes. "I have to tell you something," she said.

"What is it?"

"I-I really love, Sasuke." Sakura took a deep breath to keep her voice strong, "I really thought I could change him if I loved him with all my heart. But I've failed, Temari. Sasuke is too far gone now. I cannot drive him off the path he has chosen, but I won't stand aside and see him destroy someone's family, either."

Temari gulped thickly. The question she already knew the answer to was on her lips. "Whose family?" she asked fearfully.

Sakura didn't say anything, but her silence said everything. Temari steeled her heart and asked in a firm voice, "Tell me everything, Sakura."

* * *

 **A/N :- Well, can** **'t say that this has been a quick update, lmao. Hope the old readers who've been with me since the beginning are still around. I'll be happy to tell you I've plotted out the ending to the fic, and it will be over not too long from now, maybe this arc at best.**

 **Uhm, there's nothing more for me to say tbh (… talk about awkward). So, until next time, y'all should remember the drill of reading and reviewing stuff off of my profile (…I hope) I'll try not to take so long to update, I promise!**

 **Ja Ne! ;-)**

* * *

 **PS :- I've recommended this on my profile before, but no one seems to have taken note of it (…insert a screech here). Go and check out Wood, Paper, and Illusion by Glacious. Ignore the crack-ish parts on the parts with Minato and read for the rest of the cast. I swear, you won't find a cuter Konan than he has anywhere on FF (I've tried, lmao). And that, coming from me, is a big thing. So, go on, shoo, read it and review it before he loses his muse and stops writing it (I wanna read the ending so bad I'm shilling it shamelessly, damn you Glacious! T_T)**


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